Impulse
by ingeniusmuffin
Summary: ON HIATUS Mikan Sakura is an up and coming actress and model. Fame, love, and lies spin the web that is her life. So how does Natsume Hyuuga fit into the picture? And what happens when someone special comes along and makes it all more confusing?
1. Chapter 1

I turned away from the piercing light of the sun and focused my eyes on my long-time boyfriend Ruka Nogi who was sitting beside me, flipping through a magazine. I let my eyes focus on his handsome face. Blond hair, piercing blue eyes, striking features and tall and fit with a personality so sweet and caring; basically every girl's dream boyfriend.

Every girl but me. Instead of wishing for my angelic lover's arms wrapped around me, I yearned for the warm embrace of a long-lost friend who aroused such feelings in me that no one else could, the fiery crimson eyes that struck my heart every time our eyes met. But, I wished in vain. For I'd long lost Natsume Hyuuga as a friend. Since the day that I'd officially became Ruka's girlfriend. Since the day that I'd smashed his heart into pieces without knowing. Since the day I'd broken him.

"Mikan? Are you alright?" Ruka asked, noticing my dream-like state.

I snapped out of my thoughts and plastered on my most cheerful phony smile. I learned that it was very convincing.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"

Ruka's eyes probed into mine, as if trying to find something. "Alright," he finally sighed. "But if you want to talk to me, just tell me." I nodded, still smiling, and watched as he relaxed and went back to reading his magazine.

I let out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. I leaned back against the lounge chair and let my thoughts drift.

_"Natsume-kun!"_

_ "Oi, be quiet baka. You're so noisy." Natsume snapped, throwing me a cold look and stuffing his hands in his pockets._

_ "Oh, come on!" I laughed, grabbing his arm and dragging him with me. "Let's go somewhere! Just the two of us! It'll be fun! I promise!" Natsume seemed to consider it and then nodded, allowing himself to be led away from his Sakura tree._

_ "Hey Polka, where are you taking me?" Natsume asked._

_ "Somewhere." I replied, grinning mischievously at his annoyed face. "Trust me, you'll love it there!"_

_ We walked a little longer and ended up deep in the forest. I knew the way like the back of my hand so I followed a certain path and came upon the place I'd been looking for. I looked back at Natsume and smiled. I gripped his arm tighter and led him out of the thick wall of trees._

_ "We're here!" I announced, grinning broadly._

_ "Wow..." Natsume whispered in shock, as he took in his surroundings._

_ There was large lake in front of us with a wooden pier and the lake was surrounded by dozens of flowers. The air was fresh and the sunset illuminated the surface of the water in the most beautiful way. Fireflies flitted in the air and danced around. _

_ "When did you find this?" Natsume asked, turning to me. His eyes were uncharacteristically wide._

_ "A long time ago." I replied, slipping out of my shoes and stepping into the lake. "I come here a lot whenever I'm upset or just need some quiet time."_

_ "So, it's like your private spot?" Natsume asked, stepping into the water as well._

_ "Well, I guess you could say that. But I wouldn't mind sharing this place with another person. Sometimes it's too quiet here."_

_ Natsume sat on a large flat rock situated by the lake and let his feet dangle in the water. He gazed out at the water and then back at me. Dressed in an ivory turtleneck sweater and black denim shorts with my long hair falling in waves down my shoulders, I looked quite good when the orange light of the setting sun hit me. I would know since I could see my reflection in the water._

_ Almost on impulse, Natsume said, "Well, would you mind sharing it with me? I mean, seeing as you're always so noisy when you're at the Sakura tree."_

_ I turned to him, letting a gentle smile grace my lips. "I'd love to share it with you."_

_ I noticed Natsume turn his head away, covering his face with his bangs. It was too bad that I wasn't dense anymore. I noticed his cheeks turn pink._

_ "Are you okay, Natsume?" _

_ "Hn."_

_ "Are you sure? You don't look too well." I repeated, brushing the hair off his forehead with my free hand and checking if he had a temperature. His skin was warm but felt normal. I moved closer to peer into his eyes. He looked right back and I felt myself drifting in his gaze._

_ "Natsume-"_

_ He stopped me with his lips, warm and gentle against mine._

_ The first thing I felt was shock but as Natsume deepened the kiss, I felt myself responding. One of Natsume's hands came up and lightly brushed against my cheek, leaving a tingling sensation where his skin touched mine. When we pulled away, we were breathing heavily, but we were still looking into each other's eyes. Our hands touched and our fingers interlaced. _

_ "Mikan? Natsume?" _

_ Both of us sprang apart and turned our faces to the forest. I saw Ruka appear through the trees after a few seconds, looking at the two of us with a smile on his face._

_ "What are you two doing out here?" he asked, fixing his gaze on me._

_ "I felt bored and since me and Natsume are partners, I thought he could accompany me here." I lied. _

_ "Oh. One of my eagles led me here and when I heard your voices from a few meters back, I thought I'd come and check." Ruka explained. _

_ "All right. Well, I should really be going." I lied again, jumping up from the rock I was perched on. I waved goodbye to the two best friends and walked away quickly. When I was sure that the trees were blocking their view of me, I broke into a sprint and hurried to my room._

_ After slamming the door behind me, I slumped to the floor and put a hand to my chest, feeling the abnormally fast pulse of my heart and knowing that it wasn't because I'd been running._

_ I was in love with Natsume Hyuuga... And I liked it._

Sighing, I opened my eyes and snapped back to the present. Thinking about the past and the moments I'd shared with the man I truly loved were painful, but joyful to reminisce.

"Ruka, I was thinking that I should go out with Hotaru later." I said, sitting up from my position and turning to face him. "I mean, it's been four months since I've really been able to go out and have some quality time with her."

Ruka nodded approvingly. "Honestly, that sounds great. While you're gone I'll call Natsume and ask him if he wants to go for a drink."

My heart wrenched when Ruka mentioned his name but I pushed away the bad feelings and plastered on another one of my cheerful phony smiles. Ruka didn't doubt my cheerfulness and kissed me on my cheek before I left to go get ready for my day out. Before stepping into the shower, I typed in a quick message to my best friend and sent it. I didn't need a reply to know that she'd be there.

After a quick shower and a relaxing body bath in my favorite lilac wash, I stepped out and scanned my clothing items in my closet.

I decided on a casual outfit. A white blouse that draped over my slim figure and a pair of dark wash jeans. I pulled on my black ankle booties and a white hand-knit beret, finishing with a long brown necklace that Nonoko had given me during my senior year. Satisfied, I curled the ends of my hair and put on lip gloss – the only make-up product I ever used. I grabbed my blue handbag and headed out.

"Bye Mikan." Ruka said, kissing me. I kissed back, not wanting him to sense my uneasiness, and then stepped out the door.

I started up my white Benz and pulled out of the driveway of the large villa that me and Ruka lived in. I sped up on the highway, trying to release all my stress by driving. When I reached the mall, I was a little relaxed but I could still feel tension in my muscles.

"You're late." Hotaru muttered in monotone, fixing her icy stare on my face.

"Sorry. Traffic on the highway."

Hotaru's stare was boring a hole on the side of my face and I fidgeted under her cold eyes. I played with my hands and only looked up when Hotaru clucked her tongue and the tapping of her heels indicated that she was walking away.

"Come on. I expect that it's something to do with Hyuuga... again."

My face registered shock and my head snapped up. How did Hotaru know? I never told her anything about Natsume since me and Ruka had hit our second anniversary. I believed that she thought it was because I'd gotten over the crimson eyed flame caster. Deciding not to let my shock show, I followed quickly behind, my heels staccato against the pavement.

"So, what is it this time?" Hotaru asked, sipping a bit of her coffee.

I stayed silent for some time and formed the words in my head. "Hotaru, I- I don't know why these feelings I have for him are conflicting with the feelings I have for Ruka. But being with Ruka... it just feels so wrong."

"Does Hyuuga know this?"

"No. Not a clue." I answered. Natsume had concluded that my first date with Ruka was a way of telling him to back off. Honestly, I didn't even know it was a date!

"Why don't you tell him?" Hotaru asked, eyeing me over her cup.

"How can I? It'll be like cheating on his best friend! He and Ruka are extremely loyal to each other."

Hotaru nodded, accepting my logic, and took another sip of her coffee. She remained silent for some time, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Mikan, are you happy with Ruka?"

Her question caught me off-guard. I sighed and looked down at my own cup, self-hatred filling my heart. "No. And I hate it. I hate myself for not being able to reciprocate his feelings after everything he's done for me and all the love he's shown me."

"So, you love Natsume more than Ruka, to put it simply?"

I blushed and ducked my head. It was embarrassing. "Yes." I whispered.

"Then you ought to just tell both of them the truth. I'm sure Ruka will appreciate your truthfulness and I'm absolutely certain that Natsume will be ecstatic, although he'll mask it with harsh words."

"But Hotaru... how?" I cried in despair. "Natsume doesn't even want to talk to me, let alone see me, nowadays!" I tugged on the ends of my hair in frustration, my brow furrowed.

"Just tell them. Who cares _how_ you do it? As long as you do it."

I sighed in exasperation, knowing full well that Hotaru was right. Why should I worry about how I tell them? I mean, telling them is the most important part! I'd just pull a few strings to get my way. But one way or another, I would tell them. And I would tell them soon.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: In case you guys don't know, I will list the characters' ages:

Tsubasa and Kaname: 22

Mikan, Natsume, Ruka, Hotaru: 21

If you guys have any questions about their ages, just leave a review and I'll make sure to answer your questions.

* * *

I drove back home feeling much better. It felt like someone had taken part of the load on my shoulders and ended up making it lighter. I turned on the radio and started singing along to all the songs I knew, paying no attention to how crazy I would look if people could see me. I didn't care!

_Ring_.

"Oh, damn!"

My phone was ringing and it was buried at the bottom of my bag. Keeping my eyes on the road while digging through my things to get my phone was difficult. When I felt the cool metal surface against my palm, I grasped it firmly and pulled it out.

"Hello?"

_"Mikan? Is that you?"_

A grin broke out on my face as soon as I heard the voice that came through the other line.

"Kaname-senpai!"

_"Mikan! Thank goodness I got the right number! How are you?"_

"I'm absolutely great!" Mentally, I winced. I hated lying to Kaname, but the fact that he was already sick and bedridden made it difficult to tell him about my problems.

_"That's good. How are Ruka and Hotaru doing?"_

"Ruka's acting career is going well and Hotaru's business is booming." I said, smiling as I thought about how successful my friends were.

_"That's good news."_ Kaname replied. _"But how about Natsume?"_

The smile was wiped off my face. I struggled to find the right words and Kaname was answered with silence on my end. I couldn't... I just couldn't talk about him. It was too difficult.

_"Well, never mind Natsume then. I'll just find out from Tsubasa."_ Kaname chuckled nervously, not being very subtle at his attempt to lighten the mood.

"..."

_"So, Mikan, the real reason I called you is because I wanted to know if you would like to join me for dinner next Sunday. I'll be allowed out of the hospital for three days and I wanted to see you."_

"I'd love to, Kaname-senpai."

_"All right then. I'll send you the details soon." _

"All right. Goodbye!"

"Goodbye Mikan!"

_Click._

Once the line went dead, I allowed my temporary composure to slip. I usually had long conversations with Kaname whenever he called or visited – which was rare. The fact that I might have just blown him off bothered me.

Sighing, I pulled into my driveway. While talking to Kaname, I'd been fairly close to where I lived. I got out of the car and locked it before walking up towards the door, meanwhile stuffing my phone in my bag.

"Sakura."

I yelped when a hand clamped down on my shoulder. My face paled as I recognized the voice.

Turning slowly, I came face to face with the crimson eyes I'd longed for. My throat went dry and my eyes widened. What was he doing here? Most of all, he was talking to me! But wait, why was he here?! At my house! Well, technically it's not _my _house since me and Ruka share it and- AH! That's not the point!

"W-what are you doing here?" I stuttered, moving out of his hold. I noticed his black Porsche parked near the sidewalk.

"Ruka."

I walked up to the front door wordlessly, pulling a set of keys out of my pocket. I unlocked the door and stepped inside, opening it a little wider for Natsume to come in.

"The living room is in there," I said, gesturing to the right. "Do you want a drink?"

Natsume moved into the room and made himself comfortable on one of the long couches. "Water would be fine."

I nodded in his direction, not meeting his eyes, and made my way to the kitchen. I pulled two glasses out of one of the wooden cabinets and noticed that my hand was trembling. I let out a heavy breath and filled both with water before making my way back.

"Here." I held out a glass for Natsume to take. I noticed that my hand was still shaking and hoped he wouldn't notice.

Apparently he did. He took the glass from my hand and I shivered slightly when his skin brushed against mine. I pulled my hand away and walked over to one of the armchairs, settling myself into the cushions.

_Silence_.

In my head I was fighting a raging battle. I desperately searched for something to say to diminish the tension that was slowly building with each passing second. In other words, I was panicking. I managed to maintain my cool composure on the outside though and I desperately hoped that Natsume wouldn't notice my unease.

Looking over at him, I felt my heart throb.

_Shit Mikan. This isn't an appropriate time to ogle over him! Do something!_

And yet, as I furiously told off myself, I couldn't help but let my eyes roam over him. Ah, I'd been deprived of the sight of him for too long. I never noticed what good eye candy he was- DAMN IT! Now I was talking like one of his fan girls!

Pushing away all my bad thoughts, I took the time to sincerely enjoy the sight of him. The years had been good to him. His chiseled features were still oh-so-present and his body remained lean from all the training he'd taken for school missions. I still remembered how horrible it was to wait for him to return from a mission and not know if he was hurt or badly injured. For all I knew, he was probably alone somewhere in a dark place bleeding to death! I still remembered the relief wash over me when he would return to the Academy and go straight to me to assure me that he was okay.

Pain. Throbbing pain in my heart.

Once again, I found myself pushing away the memories. Like I said, thinking about the moments I spent with him were bittersweet.

"Sakura."

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up to see Natsume staring at me in confusion, an eyebrow raised in my direction.

"What?"

"Your water is about to spill."

I quickly looked down at the glass nestled in my hands and found that, indeed, my glass was tipped at a precarious angle. If it was tipped a little more, my jeans would have been wet. I quickly adjusted it so that it was upright again.

"Thank you."

"What's wrong?" Natsume pressed, setting his water down on a glass holder.

I stiffened in my seat and carefully avoided looking at him. "Nothing is wrong." I whispered. I let my fingers outline the rim of my glass and traced patterns on my glass.

"You're lying."

Shocked, my head snapped up. "I am _definitely_ not lying." I hissed through clenched teeth.

"That's bullshit. I know when you're lying to me. I can read you like an open book." Natsume retorted. I felt my temper rising.

"Is that so? Then if you can read me like an open book, then why don't you tell me what's troubling me? That shouldn't be very hard for you, right?" I glared at him, my adoration for him temporarily forgotten. I swear, sometimes the jerk really got on my nerves.

Natsume's reaction, however, surprised me. Instead of replying with a snarky comment or insulting me, he just stared. And stared. And stared. I started fidgeting in my seat. His eyes were burning me. It was like he could see right through me! I felt like I could get lost in the planes of his eyes. So lost that no one could ever find me again.

Finally, we broke eye contact. Natsume let out a quiet sigh and leaned back against the couch.

"So much has changed."

I felt a sad smile form on my lips. I held back tears and fought to keep up the wall I'd built between us. If one was to break down that wall, I would probably have been pouring out my heart to him.

So instead, I just replied with a simple, "Yeah."

Yet again, there was silence.

Making up my mind, I rose and took my glass. I walked over to where Natsume sat and picked up his empty glass as well and began to make my way to the kitchen.

"Wait."

I stopped. Natsume's hand had caught my wrist, the warmth from his skin penetrating mine. I ignored the goosebumps on my arms and forced myself to look at him.

"Do you ever miss it?"

My eyes widened and I gaped at him in shock. "W-what did you say?"

"Do you ever miss it?" he repeated, a little louder this time.

His face was dead serious. I choked back the tears and dragged my eyes away from his. I put up my cold exterior and shook my head. "What is there to miss when I already have everything I've ever wanted?" Natsume's eyes were the ones to widen this time and his grip loosened. I pulled away from him and retreated quickly, hoping that my statement was believable.

I put the glasses in the kitchen sink, leaning over the cool metal and squeezing my eyes shut.

_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. Stupid Mikan! Any progress you've made has just gone down the drain!_ I thought to myself.

My hands clenched tighter and a few restrained tears spilled out from the corner of my eyes. I muffled a sob as my body quaked silently. I wiped off the droplets of salt water and tried to fix myself up. I didn't want Natsume to see how much of an effect his words had on me. I composed my face and sniffed back more tears. I needed to get away from Natsume... I needed to get away... but I couldn't. I needed to tell him how I felt about him...

"_Mikan_..."

I jumped again when a pair of strong arms snaked around my waist and pulled me close. I could feel his breath on my neck. Silently, tears began to roll down my cheeks in a steady stream. My sobs came out uncontrolled and my body shook as each tremor passes. I was breaking down in Natsume's arms... but he never let me go. Instead, he pulled me closer and murmured soothing words in my ear as the tears slowly stopped.

The moment was like déjà-vu...

_"Natsume... what are you doing here?" I gasped, seeing his figure illuminated in the moonlight, climbing through my window._

_ Natsume's face was covered by his bangs, concealing his expression as he spoke. "I had a feeling that you were crying alone," he began. "... and for some reason I came here. My eyes widened as he lifted his face, his eyes meeting mine._

_ I felt the tears sliding down my cheeks as he hopped off my windowsill and approached me, taking me into his arms and hugging me close._

_ "I'm here now. You can cry."_

I snapped back to the present and the tears completely stopped. Natsume noticed that I stopped crying and released his hold on me. I turned around to look at him and the first thing that struck me was that his cold facade was gone. Instead... he looked vulnerable.

"Natsume?" I whispered, timidly bringing a hand up to his face. He turned away and I saw his cheeks turn slightly pink. I mentally snickered.

"Do you really have everything you want already?"

Once again, his question shocked me. My hand dropped back to my side and I looked down at the ground. He'd seen through my lie.

"No." I mumbled in return.

"Then why?" Natsume asked, his tone slightly desperate. "Why did you lie to me?! Do you know how much your answer hurt me?" He whispered the last part and I barely caught it.

"I never meant to hurt you..." I trailed off.

"And yet you did, you hurt me many times before." Natsume snapped.

I was shocked. No wait, shocked was an understatement. I was _flabbergasted_.

"_You? _ You think you have it bad?! You completely tuned me out after I went on one little outing with Ruka! I didn't even know it was a damn _date!_ Have you forgotten? I was at the peak of my idiocy back then!" I cried. "And then you go... you go and fling yourself on all those other girls and refuse to talk to me! Do you know how confused I was?! Ruka was the only one there who knew how I truly felt and he helped me through it! So if you think that you're the one who's hurting the most, you're downright STUPID!"

I was crying... again.

And panting.

Not a good combination.

You see, when I am panting and crying at the same time, I look like something the cat dragged in. Bloodshot eyes, red face, heaving chest... Ew. Then again, at a time like that, I honestly didn't freaking care if I looked like a harpy.

"You... You didn't know it was a date?" Natsume mused.

I shot him a glare but blushed and turned away, nodding my head slightly.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

My head snapped to where he stood. He had his arms around his stomach and he was letting out a big hearty laugh, something I never saw coming from him.

"And _how_ is that funny?!" I screeched, my temper flaring.

Natsume restrained his laughter and looked back at me. Only to immediately bend over laughing again. It was _pissing me off_.

"Ugh! God, how could you be laughing at a time like this!" I shouted, stomping out and towards my room. I slammed the door behind me and stormed into my bathroom where I let out a wild scream. I swear it was so loud my ears popped.

Feeling calmer, I left the room again and was surprised to see Natsume leaning against the wall across from my bedroom door. When he saw me come out, he smirked.

"Better?"

I gave him an impassive look and brushed past, making my way to the backyard patio.

"Hey, wait!" he yelled.

I ignored him. I could hear his angry huff as he picked up his pace and grabbed my wrist again. He whirled me around to face him and pulled me towards him roughly. I stumbled and Natsume, not expecting the sudden weight, was knocked over. I expected to hit the floor but Natsume somehow managed to pull me to him and his back took the impact instead.

"Oh my gosh! Natsume are you okay?" I asked, fluttering around him and checking if he was hurt.

"Stop it, baka.," he moaned, opening his eyes and attempting to sit up, only to fall back to the floor with an 'oof'. "God, how much do you weigh? I might have cracked a rib."

"Shut up! I'm supposed to be slim to be a model!" I yelled, pounding my fists on his chest.

Natsume chuckled and I glared at him. He smirked up at my annoyed face and watched as my expression went from pissed to angry.

"Ugh, why do I even care. I'm going to call Ruka to come home so you can get lost." I announced, standing up. I walked towards the living room where we had a telephone, calling behind me, "By the way, Ruka will want to know why you're here in the first place."

"Tell him," Natsume murmured in my ear. I jumped when I realized that he was standing right behind me. "-that I'm here for _you_."

My heart fluttered and my face flushed various shades of red.

"Stop it."

I could feel Natsume pressing closer to me. "Why?" he mumbled, brushing a feather-light kiss on the base of my neck.

"Because I'm not yours anymore. I love Ruka now." I replied in monotone.

Natsume stiffened. His head pulled away and I felt his presence disappear. I listened to the sound of his footsteps and the slam of the front door... and after a few seconds, the revving of a car engine and the screeching of tires against the pavement.

I sighed and walked back to my bedroom to change out of my mall clothes.

_Beep. Beep._

I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and nearly stuffed it back in when I saw 'Natsume' on the caller ID. Hesitatingly, I decided to read his message and waited for it to load.

"_I know I made a mistake by shutting you out, but one way or another, I will get you to love me again. Even if it hurts Ruka in the process. I NEED you, Mikan. _

_ Natsume"_

My heart squeezed and I found it hard to breathe. Why was he telling me this _now_? After all the years he had to tell me, he had to tell me _now!_

"Mikan."

I jumped and spun around to see Ruka walking through the front door. He had a big smile on his face and a bottle of champagne in his hand.

"Ruka, what are you celebrating? You never buy champagne unless something good happens."

Ruka grinned and placed the champagne by the entrance to the living room and then trotted over to where I was and swooped me into a hug.

"Ruka!" I cried out in surprise. He laughed and pulled me close.

"They want you to star in a movie with me." Ruka said breathlessly.

My eyes widened. This was my chance! It was my big break! I could finally make an appearance in the world of show business!

"Oh my God!" I squealed, ecstatic from the good news. I flung my arms around Ruka and planted a kiss on his lips. "Thank you so much!" Ruka grinned wider and pulled me back in for another kiss.

Maybe I finally was getting over Natsume...

* * *

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry if this chapter is horrible. : I think my writing is starting to become... lousy. ARGH! I promise that the next chapter will be so much better! I'm adding a little twist to the story so I hope you guys like it! :D By the way, I wanna thank MidnightRose243 for being the first ( and only, so far -_-;; ) reader to review my story. I appreciate the compliment and in return, I shall dedicate the next chapter to you. :D

Credits to my best friend for proof-reading. :D


	3. Chapter 3

The next day was my interview and damn was I nervous. My knees were shaking as I sat in a white-walled room behind a long black desk.

"I presume you are Ms. Sakura?" a tall man in a suit asked.

I stood up and bowed politely. "Yes, that would be me. I would like to thank you for having me." We shook hands and he gestured for me to sit down again.

"It's a pleasure. My name is Takumi Akihiko."

I nodded respectfully and took in the sight of the man in front of me. He was tall with dark blue hair and piercing gray eyes. He wore a gray tailored suit and black dress shoes. All in all, he gave off the feel of a successful man.

"Ms. Sakura, have you had any experience in acting?"

My head snapped up to Takumi's face and I tapped my fingers against my knee nervously but hid it from the tall man. "Oh, well, yes I have. I used to join school plays doing major parts."

He nodded, rubbing his temple with his index finger.

"What productions have you played in?"

"'Romeo and Juliet', 'Othello', 'Great Expectations' and 'A Midnight Summer's Night'."

Takumi quirked an eyebrow at me and nodded, his lips turning up at the corners into a small smile. He flipped through a few more pages of my profile before placing the clipboard on top of the table and turning to face me.

"Do you know what this movie is going to be about?" he asked, taking a sip of coffee from his mug.

"I'm afraid that I wasn't informed about what the plot revolves around." I answered truthfully, my hand clenching into fists on my lap.

Takumi's smile tightened – a bad sign – and his other eyebrow rose to join it's pair. "So you were going to accept this movie role," he began, sounding mildly hostile. "- without knowing what the movie was about and what character you would be playing?"

My eyes widened when I realized that he was insulting me.

"I believe that to be a good actor, I have to be flexible in my roles." I stated confidently. "If I believed that I didn't have the capability to manage this role, I would have turned down the offer."

Takumi's smile became genuine as he grinned at me.

"I like your spunk. You're hired."

I was in shock. "W-what? I'm hired?"

Takumi's grin broadened. "Yes. I'll hand over a copy of your contract later on and we'll see if you need any adjustments made to it."

"Thank you so much Mr. Akihiko!" I stood and shook his hand once more, ecstatic from the news.

"Please, call me Takumi."

"Takumi-san." I repeated, smiling.

He grinned at me once more before I left the room. I immediately rushed into the building's lobby where Ruka was waiting. As soon as he saw my face, his face broke into a grin and he swooped me up into his arms again.

"I can't believe it! I made it! I made it!" I squealed.

"Congratulations." Ruka murmured into my ear, his breath trickling down my neck and sending shivers up my spine. It was somewhat... sexy. I tilted my head up and Ruka took the hint and kissed me lightly on the lips. I leaned into the kiss, sighing in happiness.

"Aw, would you look at the happy couple."

Ruka turned his head away and immediately glared. I followed his gaze and felt my eyes widening in shock at the person standing in front of us.

"Etou-kun!" I squealed, ripping myself out of Ruka's arms and flinging myself on my old friend.

"OOF!"

"Ah, sorry Etou-kun." I muttered, helping him regain his balance.

Etou grinned at me and ruffled my hair playfully. "My, still cute as ever are we Mikan-chan?" I blushed and averted my gaze to the ground. Etou had always had a big effect on me.

"Kiriya, what are you doing here in Japan?" Ruka growled menacingly, taking my hand in his.

"Yeah, I thought you said you were staying in Vienna for a few years!" I added.

Etou smirked at Ruka then smiled gently at me. Ah, Etou. Still as crude as ever. "Is it a bad thing to want to visit some old friends?" He approached and ignored Ruka when he snarled under his breath. He wrapped an arm around me and grinned mischievously at Ruka.

"I'd always thought Mikan would end up with Hyuuga. What'd you do to him? Poison him? Drown him?" Etou remarked.

"Shut up!" Ruka growled, hatred in his tone. "_She_ chose _me_."

I winced mentally and fought to keep the smile on my face. I saw Etou give me a discreet questioning look. I shrugged slightly and he gave me another look as if to say 'We'll talk later'. I fidgeted with the hem of my blue sweater dress and suddenly found my black Louboutin pumps very interesting.

"Well, Ruka, I was wondering if I could borrow Mikan for the day." Etou announced. I could feel Ruka stiffen beside me and I suddenly feared for Etou's face.

"Fine. But just today." Ruka snapped, sighing in defeat. He released my hand and stepped away.

"Are you sure, Ruka?" I asked, my brow furrowing.

"I'm sure. You two need some time together," he broke off and shot a warning look at Etou who grinned back. "I'll see you later."

He pressed a quick kiss to my lips, flashed one last warning look at Etou, and walked off. I watched his navy blue BMW disappear around the corner and then turned back to Etou.

"So what did you want to do?" I asked, grinning up at him.

"You'll see." Etou replied, taking my hand and dragging me to his car.

He drove to a small conservation site. Before getting out, I gave him a questioning look to which he replied with a cheeky grin.

"Come on. We aren't there yet!"

We walked on a narrow path that wound through trees and dense undergrowth with flowers dotting the luscious landscape. It was beautiful and I took my time walking through to admire my surroundings.

"We're almost there, Mikan. Come on!" Etou grinned, taking my hand and dragging me towards a small opening up ahead. Once we were out of the cover of the trees and in the opening, I allowed myself to slump to the ground. Walking in high heels and a dress wasn't a good idea.

"Mikan?"

"What?"

"Look up."

I did. And I was speechless. I was there. At the lake. The lake where me and Natsume first kissed. The lake with the small pier. I rose unsteadily and kicked off my heels, letting my bare feet nestle into the soft grass. I walked towards the pier where I was certain that there was a large flat rock. At first, the wood blocked my view, but after getting around the pier, I spotted it.

There it was.

And on it was a large bouquet of flowers.

Shocked, I stepped closer and picked it up. White lilies. My favourite flower. The only person who knew about that little fact was Natsume... Was he the one who left the bouquet here?

"Like it?"

I jumped at the sound of Etou's voice and whirled around, clutching the flowers to my chest.

"Did you leave these flowers here for me?"

Etou smiled sadly and turned his head to the lake, his eyes wandering over the water. "I wish I had. But sorry," he said, turning back to face me. "It wasn't me who left them for you."

"Then who did?"

Etou sighed and turned away from me, walking back towards the path we'd taken. "Find out for yourself and then tell me tomorrow," he called over his shoulder.

"Tomorrow? Etou! Wait!"

Too late. He'd disappeared into the thick wall of trees, leaving me alone in my most favourite place in the world. Sighing to myself, I made my way over to the rock I remembered Natsume had sat on, the rock where the flowers were. I perched myself on the edge and let my toes sink into the cool water. I set the flowers beside me and turned to the sunset.

"Beautiful." I whispered to no one in particular.

Suddenly, I heard rustling in the trees behind me and the telltale sound of cracking twigs under someone's weight. I heard branches being pushed away and soft footsteps.

I jumped off the rock to face the forest as I cried, "Who's there?"

I saw no one. Everything was still tranquil as it had been before. My brow furrowed in frustration. I could have sworn that I heard someone walking through the trees.

Suddenly, a plan popped up in my head. I kept cool as I gazed longingly at the flowers. Finally, I sighed and let my fingertips brush against the beautiful petals before I turned away from them and made my way to where my shoes lay. I slipped them on, looked back at the flowers again, sighed once more and then disappeared through the trees. I snickered to myself as I moved quietly to where I had a good view of the rock and the trees surrounding it. I held my breath and waited.

It didn't take too long. Only seconds after I'd crouched down to watch, I saw a head of bluish gray hair leave the cover of the trees and make its way to the rock.

The man, who looked about my age, dressed in black jeans and a dark green long-sleeved polo picked up the bouquet and sighed, sitting on the rock. I smirked.

_I've found you_, I thought to myself.

Slipping my shoes off once more, I crouched a little lower and then sprang through the bushes, startling the man and making him fall off the rock with a loud yell. I sprang onto him and gripped him by the collar so he couldn't get away.

"Who are you?" I spat, tightening my hold on the stunned man.

The man looked up at me in disbelief and then his lips turned up in a grin and he broke out laughing. "I'm Kira Akihiko. Nice to meet you, Mikan Sakura."

Arching a brow at him, I released my hold on his collar and he stood up.

"Do I know you?" I asked.

"Actually you might not know me. But you have met my brother. In fact, you met him this morning."

Startled that I'd met his brother, I thought back to anyone I'd met this morning with the name Akihiko. Aha! Takumi-san! No wonder both had an eerie resemblance.

"You're Takumi-san's brother?"

Kira grinned and clapped his hands. "You're quick."

I examined his face and definitely saw the resemblance between the two. Kira's hair was a lighter colour compared to Takumi's navy blue but the facial structure was the same. Kira's eyes were different from Takumi's gray ones. His were of a russet colour that were just as piercing as his brother's.

"Are you two twins?"

Kira laughed. I noticed how melodic it was and it gave me a warm feeling. "People mistake us as twins all the time but Takumi is older than me by five years." Kira mused.

My mouth dropped. "T-then, how old are you?"

"I'm 21 like you and aniki is 26." Kira answered, his eyes lingering on the sun.

It then occurred to me that Kira seemed familiar to me regardless of the fact that he resembled his brother. I'd met him somewhere else.

_'Actually you might not know me'. _Those words spun in my head and the realization snapped in.

"You're Kira Akihiko from Gakuen Alice's Dangerous Ability Type class." I gasped. Kira's eyes snapped back to mine and he smiled.

"So you _do_ remember me, Mikan."

I flashed back.

_"Natsume, why are you ignoring me?" I screamed at Natsume's back._

_ He whirled around and glared sharply at me. His 'girl-of-the-week' looked absolutely terrified of him and whimpered, retreating to the corner. Tch. Coward._

_ "Listen here little girl," Natsume hissed menacingly. "I have no idea why you keep wasting your time annoying the hell out of me when you should be on Ruka's arm. If he gets the wrong idea, I swear I will burn you to a crisp."_

_ Tears welled up in my eyes as I glared right back at Natsume. "Well, I'm sorry for caring."_

_ I turned around and started walking away, feeling Natsume's gaze on my back. I'd had enough of him ignoring me and I decided to give him a piece of my mind._

_ Whirling around again, I said "You know what, I'd always thought you cared for me. I mean, you'd mask it behind your cold facade and use harsh words but you were always there to help me. You know I-I," I stuttered through my tears. "I genuinely loved you. But now, I just- I just don't know anymore... It's so difficult. I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry. I need to go."_

_ Before turning and walking away, I let myself look into his crimson eyes. I immediately saw the shock and the hurt reflected in them._

_ "Goodbye." I whispered, turning and sprinting as fast as I could._

_ Thirty minutes later I found myself in a deserted classroom, crying my eyes out and leaving a small puddle of tears on the floor. No one came and I was glad. I would probably have a mental break down if someone tried to tell me that everything was okay._

_It was like an eternity later when the classroom door slid open. I held my breath and then sighed in relief when I saw that it wasn't anyone I knew._

_ It was Kira Akihiko, owner of a Dangerous Ability Type alice. _

_ "Oh? What are you doing here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and sticking his head out in the hallway to check if there was anyone around._

_ He seemed to notice my puffy eyes and I saw a gentler look come across his face. He knelt in front of me and took out a handkerchief. He wiped away the tears on my cheeks and lifted my chin up to meet my eyes. _

_ "Do you want to tell me what's wrong? Trust me, if it's a big secret, it's safe with me."_

_ I sniffed back more tears and poured out the whole story and everything that had happened. Kira listened without interruptions and asked a question every now and then._

_ When I was done, Kira leaned back against the wall and sighed loudly. He looked over at me and grinned. "Life sucks doesn't it?"_

_ "Extremely." I muttered._

_ He spent the next hour and a half with me, letting me let out my pent-up frustration and tolerating my nasty mood. We became acquaintances and before he left, he helped me to my feet and told me the best advice anyone had ever given me._

_ "Move on. If he said that to you, he isn't worth your time."_

_ I watched him stride out of the room before slumping into a nearby chair and sighing in exasperation. Why hadn't I thought of that before?_

_ I stayed in the room until it was sunset and the reddish orange light filtered into the room._

_ "Mikan?"_

_ I jolted in the seat as my head snapped up to meet a pair of blue eyes. My lips quirked up into a gentle smile at the sight of him._

_ "Ruka."_

_ I'd found my place of retreat. The one person who could help me forget my past. Although I doubted that I would ever love him as much as Natsume, I was willing to take the chance. It was time to turn a new leaf and leave behind all the bad memories._

_ The start of my relationship with Ruka was beginning... and my relationship with Natsume was ending._

_

* * *

_A/N: Ah, this didn't turn out as long as I expected. I hope it's still good, though. Sorry guys! If you can, please leave a review!_  
_


	4. Chapter 4

Kira Akihiko.

He was known as one of the most gentle Dangerous Ability users in Gakuen Alice. No one knew who he was and where he came from and no one but the principals, Persona, and Kira himself knew what his alice was. He was a mystery.

A good-looking mystery I might add.

During our years in high school, Kira had been known as the ultimate catch. Sumire Shouda, who was notorious for being Natsume Hyuuga's number one fan, had actually abandoned the Black Cat and gone after him! No one could blame her though. Although Natsume Hyuuga was still known as one of the most handsome guys on campus, Kira had stolen the spot of number one hunk from him. Not that Natsume cared though.

Snapping back to the present, I examined him standing in front of me, holding the bouquet of white lilies in his right hand.

"What are you doing here?"

Kira looked at me, a smile playing on his lips. "Is it bad to want to visit an old friend?"

I frowned and shifted my weight to my left leg, crossing my arms over my chest. "Funny, I don't quite remember us being friends. I thought we were merely _acquaintances_."

Kira's smile twitched. I noticed. "Aw, why so harsh? Didn't you miss me?"

I snorted and rolled my eyes. "What was there to miss?"

Kira laughed out loud, ambushing me once again with his laugh's warmth. "All right, I understand that you might not like me very much. But hey, why don't we talk about it over dinner? Besides, Etou exerted a lot of effort to get you here didn't he? What with Natsume's temper and all."

My face hardened and my eyes narrowed. "What does Hyuuga have to do with this, Akihiko?"

Kira's brow arched up in confusion. "What do you mean 'what does Hyuuga have to do with this?' He's your boyfriend isn't he?"

My hand clenched into fists.

"Boyfriend?" I laughed bitterly. "Look who told me to move on! Look who's stupid advice got me into the biggest mess of my life!"

Kira's eyes widened in shock when my words hit him. "Hyuuga isn't your boyfriend?"

"Obviously." I snarled.

"Heh. Figures. But hey, you still haven't answered my question. Why don't we talk about this over dinner?" Kira suggested, raising both opened palms in surrender.

I sighed. Although I wanted to reject his offer, there were so many questions I didn't realize I wanted to ask him. This could very well be my last chance. After I got my answers, I could just leave, right? Besides, Ruka was waiting.

"Fine. But I have a curfew. I want to be at home by 11:00."

Kira grinned and held out his arm. I linked mine through his and he led me back to his car – which was parked fairly close to where Etou parked.

Thirty minutes later, we were sitting in a private booth at the back of an American restaurant, awkward silence filling the air as we decided on what to order.

"Mikan, can I ask you something?" Kira suddenly stated, peering at me over the top of his menu.

"Go ahead."

"If Hyuuga isn't your boyfriend," he started, watching my expression stiffen. "-then who is?"

Huffing, I focused my attention on my menu again, purposely avoiding Kira's gaze. "I'm in a relationship with Ruka Nogi right now. Heard of him?"

I heard the sound of choking and put down my menu to see Kira choking on his water. I raised an eyebrow at him and leaned across the table to hit him hard on the back. He stopped choking and managed to drink a little more water without inhaling it.

"_You_ are Ruka Nogi's girlfriend?" he whisper-shouted.

Rolling my eyes, I replied with a nod. I picked up my abandoned menu and continued scanning the choices they had.

"Heh. That bastard got lucky, huh? Figures."

I slammed my menu down on the table again. "What do you mean 'figures'? Are you trying to say that you know how our relationship started?"

Kira put down his menu calmly and fixed his eyes on me, a smirk on his face.

"Actually, I do know how you two got together," he began. "And I do know that you should be thanking, ahem, _someone_ for helping you two."

I narrowed my eyes at him, a glare snapping in place. "Oh? Are you trying to say that our relationship started because of _you_?"

Kira shrugged, still smirking.

"Do enlighten me." I snarled.

Kira eyed me and took a long drink of water. "Hm, I don't think I will. I'll leave figuring it out to you." He smirked at me once more before adding, "But I can give you a hint."

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Remember when we were in the classroom?" Kira started.

"Of course. It was the first time I ever spoke to you. And the first time I saw a gentler side of you." I replied.

"Well, when I left, I so happened to run into Ruka near the Middle School section. I knew he was a friend of yours so..."

The realization hit me. Of course! If I'd run into a random classroom in the Middle School section, how was it possible for Ruka to _coincidentally_ walk into the same room? Kira must have told him I was there so Ruka went to check it out!

"I expect that it's come to you?" Kira smirked, putting his menu down and resting his chin on his folded hands. He stared at me in glee.

"You... _You_ were behind our relationship?"

Kira grinned. "I'm not the mastermind behind it, no. You chose to love him. It wasn't my choice to make. I just hoped you'd move on."

"How did you expect me to move on?"

Kira regarded me seriously, holding my gaze with his eyes. "I expected you to fall in love with someone who deserved you more, unlike Hyuuga. Someone who could treat you right and never hurt you... someone who would protect your heart."

"And who did you think that someone was?" I whispered.

"Me."

My expression remained the same but my heart was telling me something different. It was pounding heavily in my chest and a weird tingling sensation rose on my arms.

"Does my confession make you feel awkward around me?" Kira mused.

"Well, I'm not quite sure. But it's okay, I guess."

Kira chuckled and took a sip from his water again. "It's quite funny that I fell in love with you at first sight. Usually, I'm drawn to sexy and appealing women." He lifted his eyes to meet mine and smirked. "And you, Mikan Sakura, have not one ounce of sexiness in you."

My mouth dropped and my eyes widened. My pride shook under the strike and my ego got the best of me. Time to get back.

"Oh, I can be sexy." I purred.

Kira's eyebrows raised as he grinned broadly at me. "Yeah? I would love to see that."

"Would you?" I whispered in a sensual tone. "Because I can give you front row seats to the show... if you'd like."

Kira's eyes widened. I bet he didn't see that coming. But his surprise only flashed momentarily across his face before it was replaced by a sensual smile of his own. "I would like that. Very much," he purred back.

I picked up my glass and let my mouth glide suggestively over the rim of the glass before I took a drink, never breaking eye contact with Kira. I saw his lips part slightly and noticed his hands clench a little tighter on the tabletop. I smiled and let my tongue run over my bottom lip. Under the table, I ran my foot up his leg and then ran my fingernails over one of his hands.

"Oh-kay! That will be all for the show." Kira bit out through clenched teeth.

I laughed and grinned, proud of my easy win. "That's what you get for telling me I can't be sexy."

Kira smiled at me suggestively. "You know, you should have thought twice about doing that. _That_, that wasn't being sexy. That was being _seductive._ You see, a healthy man like me is easily turned on by tricks like those," he mused. "You never know what I might do to you Mikan."

I laughed again and Kira's chuckles joined in moments later.

Dinner finished calmly and I realized that Kira was actually one of the nicest guys I'd ever met. He was funny, sweet, and understanding. I liked those things about him. I also noticed that when I was around him, I completely forgot about my problems... Being with him made me feel... good.

"Well, this is my stop." I announced, mere hours later as Kira pulled his car up in front of my villa.

"It was nice having dinner with you, Mikan." Kira smiled, giving me a half-hug. I hugged him back and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Yeah, I enjoyed it. I'll see you tomorrow!" I called, closing his car door behind me.

I strode up to the front door and unlocked it, turning to watch Kira's car speeding around the corner. I smiled to myself and pushed the door open.

"Ruka?"

"I'm in the living room!"

I smiled again, knowing full well that Ruka would be up when I got home. I walked into the hall, slipping off my shoes but stopped when I heard Ruka speaking to another person. Oh no. The voice was familiar. Too familiar.

"Mikan? Would you come join me for a moment?" Ruka called.

I swallowed hard and walked into the room, taking in the view of Natsume sitting across from Ruka. He had a smirk on his face and Ruka was grinning at me.

"Did something good happen?" I asked, purposely ignoring Natsume and smiling back at Ruka.

"Yeah," Ruka responded. "Sit down and we'll discuss what Natsume has to tell us. I'm sure you'll be excited, too."

I nodded and took a seat next to Ruka on our leather sofa. He took my hand in his and I made no move to pull it away, earning a hurt look from Natsume. All the other times he'd come over and Ruka tried to hold my hand, I would pull away.

"So what is it, honey?" I asked, raising a brow at Ruka.

"Maybe you should ask Natsume."

I frowned and hesitated before looking at Natsume. I found him looking back at me. I raised an eyebrow and he immediately looked away.

"I've been offered a role in the movie as well. That means we'll all be working together. Luna will also-"

"Hold up." I interrupted. "Luna will be joining as well?"

Natsume nodded and Ruka gave me an apologetic smile. I grimaced and shook my head, letting out a sigh. There was nothing I could do.

"At least you won't have to pretend to be her friend, Mikan." Ruka encouraged, patting my back.

I laughed out loud and shook my head in exasperation. No matter how mocking his words were, they were still reassuring and gave me a little bit of comfort.

"Well, I'm going to go get us some drinks in the kitchen." Ruka announced, rising from his spot on the couch. "I'll be right back." He walked out but I noticed the look he flashed Natsume before completely leaving the room.

There was another bout of silence between us and I decided to leave the room. The tension was unbearable and being around Natsume was quite difficult.

"Please tell Ruka that I've gone ahead." I told him before standing and departing from the room.

Once the bedroom door was shut behind me, I slumped to the floor – regardless of my dress and my shoes – and let out a sigh of relief. I was just glad that Ruka was there. At least Natsume wouldn't try anything funny if Ruka was there.

I retreated to my bathroom and washed the make-up off my face, relishing the feel of the cool skin after rinsing off the cleanser with cold water.

"Mikan?"

I wiped the water off my face and walked out of my bathroom, spotting Ruka peeking through the open door. He smiled at me when he saw me.

"Ruka. What is it you need?"

"Sorry for intruding," he apologized. "I was just wondering if you would be joining us for a drink?"

I dried my hands on my towel and thought it over. "Sure. I'll join you guys after I change into something more suitable for home."

Ruka grinned and shut the door gently behind him, leaving me with privacy. I pulled out a pair of nice white shorts and a blue casual blouse to wear before leaving the room as well.

I sat down in my spot beside Ruka again, taking a glass of wine for myself. I took a sip and let my ears tune in to the conversation Ruka and Natsume were having. Apparently it was an important subject, seeing as they were so engrossed.

"-and she can't get the chance she wants to nab the role." Natsume snarled.

I watched Ruka sigh and run a hand through his hair. "I don't know. Seeing as she has power and influence because of her Alice, she might get the role one way or another."

Natsume frowned and I watched as his face suddenly brightened. "Why don't I fake-date her?"

Ruka chuckled. "Natsume, I leave it to you. Just make sure... some... _things_... don't get out of hand, all right? Or else we'll have to explain everything."

By that time, the two had grown aware that I was sitting right next to them and had most probably heard some important parts of their conversation. Tch. Idiots. I pretended to be confused and raised my eyebrow at their sudden silence.

"Uh, why did you two stop talking?"

"Ah, it-it's nothing!" Ruka exclaimed, laughing nervously.

I arched my brow once again and shrugged. "All right then. I need to go to sleep now. I have to wake up early tomorrow morning."

I rose and mumbled a 'goodnight' to Ruka then headed back to my room. The cool air was pleasing and I snuggled into my blankets, cocooning myself in the feather soft fabric. Once again, I let my thoughts drift before I slipped into deep sleep.

_"Natsume? You wanted to talk to me?"_

_ He grunted, taking my wrist in a firm grip and hauling me to the Sakura tree – his regular hang out spot where he liked to read and take naps._

_ "Is it true that you're going out with Ruka now?" Natsume growled, turning away from me._

_ Shock coursed through me as my mind registered his words. Me? Go out with Ruka? Was he crazy or something? Why would I do that if I was already in love with him? _

_ "Ruka? No, of course not." I replied, furrowing my brow._

_ Natsume snarled viciously and muttered a string of incoherent words under his breath. He whipped around to face me and pinned me against the tree roughly. His eyes glinted with... betrayal? What was that doing there?_

_ "Don't lie to me Mikan. I saw you guys on a date!" Natsume yelled. _

_ I flinched at his harsh tone and coaxed his hand off my shoulder. "Natsume, I swear I am not going out with Ruka! He just asked me to come along with him to Central Town to buy a few things!"_

_ "You're lying!" Natsume snarled. "I saw you two holding hands near the bus stop!"_

_ I frowned and shook my head in confusion. "Holding hands? I never held hands with him!"_

_ I thought back to the moments near the bus stop... Ah! It was coming back! I was running and didn't notice a stone on the path. I tripped and Ruka helped me up but I guess I didn't let go of his hand right away! Natsume must've seen us then!_

_ "Natsume! You've misunderstood! It's just-"_

_ He interrupted me before I could even explain. "No Mikan. I understand perfectly. I'm nothing more than a friend, and that's it."_

_ My eyes widened and I ran after him, grabbing his arm. "Natsume, listen to me!"_

_ "No!" he roared. "You listen to me! I cared about you! And somehow I got the feeling that you cared about me, too. I guess I got my hopes up, huh?"_

_ Tears started spilling over and I watched with blurry vision as Natsume disappeared into the trees. I collapsed to the ground and let the enormity of the situation consume me. I'd just lost him. I'd just lost the one person I'd loved since I was ten years old. And I had a feeling that I wouldn't be getting him back anytime soon._

Snapping back to the present, the wetness on my cheeks as a few tears squeezed out of my closed eyes was the last thing I felt before succumbing to darkness.

* * *

A/N: Oh my _gosh_. I actually finished this _early_! :O Haha! I hope you guys like this new addition to the story. ;) Keep checking for any updates because the next chapter will be coming soon and Youichi is going to make his first appearance! I hope you guys don't mind if there might be a delay though. I'm going out of town for four days so it might be another week before I get around to publishing another chapter. Sorry! I'll make it up to you guys!

By the way, I'd like to thank the following for reviewing my story. :) Your comments were all very valuable to me.

*Hey.*, MidnightRose243, *amanda*, Serena Scarlet & blondegirl03.

** = Anonymous review.

Thanks again! Please leave a review!


	5. Chapter 5

One week after the fight

_ I was walking down the hallway on my way to my classroom when I heard two voices. One male and one female, behind the door of the janitor's closet. Curious, I made my way over to the large steel door and pulled it open._

_ "Oof!"_

_ I jumped back in shock as two people landed on the ground in front of me. Shock coursed through me as I realized who the two were._

_ Akane Yamada... and Natsume Hyuuga._

_ At first I felt shock... and then I felt hurt. My hands trembled as I backed away from the two, tears streaming down my face. At first Natsume didn't notice me, but when he looked up his eyes widened. Akane shot me a glare and I flinched away from both of them. Without a word, I turned and sprinted to God-knows-where. It was only when I began hyperventilating that I had to stop._

_ "Mikan?" a worried voice cried out._

_ I looked up and recognized Ruka's cerulean blue eyes and blond hair. He knelt down beside me and pulled me into his arms, soothing me with calm words._

_ "Do you want to talk about it?" he murmured in my ear, smoothing out my ruffled hair._

_ I shook my head fervently and he laughed softly. Taking out a handkerchief, he wiped away the tears on my face and smiled at me, coaxing me to smile as well. I couldn't help letting my lips twitch up slightly. Ruka's smile was contagious._

_ Clop, clop, clop._

_ I looked up and saw Natsume standing a little ways away from us. He was panting but when he saw Ruka and I, his eyes turned cold and his face hardened. _

_ "Oh no..." I whispered, watching him turn and walk away._

Two weeks after the fight

_ I'd gotten used to it. I really had._

_ Every day, Natsume had a new girl by his side, following him like a puppy around campus. Every day, I would catch them making out somewhere, whether in private or in public._

_ At first I suspected that it was just coincidence or heaven just really hated me. But after catching him four days in a row, I began to think otherwise. Because honestly, if it wasn't on purpose, why would I be catching him every day? After that, I decided it was payback time. _

_ I started with Koko. No, I didn't trick him – although who could with his awesome mind reading powers – he volunteered... willingly I might add._

_ During our free period, I asked Koko for help with my homework. As part of the plan, Koko accepted and began tutoring me. Natsume, being my seatmate, was wary almost immediately. After finishing, Koko smiled at me and I forced myself to blush by thinking of something embarrassing. Koko in return, winked and returned to his seat. I played along by thinking of something even MORE embarrassing, causing me to blush even harder and then putting a hand over my heart and taking a deep breath._

_ Was it just me or was the room getting hotter by the second?_

_ The second day of payback came and Tsubasa volunteered for me. Apparently, Natsume's dislike towards him would just fuel the fire._

_ And so, at lunchtime, Tsubasa came and picked me up and took my hand in his as we walked down the hallway. He made a few jokes to make me laugh and make it appear as if we were a couple. I made sure that Natsume would see us and I giggled at his reaction. He and his play toy were leaning on a locker when he saw us. His hands immediately clenched into fists and I saw him shove the girl away and stalk off._

_ Success._

_ The third day was different. This time two of my recently acquired fan boys had just hopped on board without knowing the situation._

_ The whole day they pampered me excessively, all in Natsume's presence. Both of them would pull my chair out for me when I sat down, they would get me drinks and snacks without me asking, they would carry my bag and my books for me, and they would give me helpful reminders about my subjects. At the end of the day, they both beamed at me and thanked me for letting them hang out with me. I blushed and kissed them both on the cheek before insisting that I was the one who should have been thanking them._

_ Was Natsume jealous? Extremely._

I laughed to myself as I pondered those funny moments I had in high school. I couldn't help thinking that I acted extremely childish.

"Mikan, stop acting like a baka and start acting professional." Hotaru snapped, smacking me upside the head. "If you don't do well during the filming, I swear I will lock you up in an empty room for one whole week with water and stale bread as friends and your script as entertainment."

I gulped at Hotaru's threat and focused on my book once more.

"Mikan-nee?"

The familiar voice caught my attention as I glanced up from the script to see a silver-haired young man standing in front of me. His teal eyes glimmered as he smiled at me. I noticed that he'd grown quite tall and stood a few inches shorter than Ruka and Natsume. He'd also grown to be lean.

"Youichi!" I laughed, springing out of my chair and hugging him.

Youichi hugged me back, smiling gently at me. When he pulled away though, he frowned. I raised my eyebrow and he stared at me.

"Why are you and onii-chan fighting?"

My eyes widened in understanding. It made sense that Youichi wouldn't know about the dispute between me and Natsume since we left Alice Academy five years ago. I gave him a sad smile and sighed softly, turning away and picking up the book I dropped.

"I think it's best if you ask Natsume." I muttered in reply.

Youichi's frown worsened as he moved aside to reveal Natsume talking to one of my co-stars, Rina Kobayashi. I noticed the flirty smile on Rina's face and Natsume's 'win-her-over' look.

I rolled my eyes and turned back to Youichi, allowing an exasperated expression to cross my features. "So what Youichi? He's just picking up another girl. Why the hell should I care?"

Although all I really wanted to do was kick the girl's butt.

Youichi's frown turned into a glare and he turned away from me to face Rina. He furrowed his brow in concentration and I gasped in horror as a poltergeist appeared and began tormenting the poor girl. She screamed and started running away, screaming wildly. It was too bad only she and the Alice-users in the room saw it. Everyone else thought she was delusional.

"Youichi, what do you think you're doing?" I shrieked.

He rolled his eyes and grabbed my wrist, giving me no opportunities to escape. He began tugging me towards Natsume and my eyes widened.

"Youichi! Let go of me this instant!" I screamed. "I swear if you don't let me go this instant-!" We were nearing Natsume and I started struggling fiercely. "YOUICHI!" I yelled, finally frustrated beyond belief. I used my quick-thinking and did a taekwondo move on the boy, resulting in him lying flat on the floor in disbelief and me standing over him, rubbing my wrist.

"That was unfair." Youichi snapped, glaring at me.

I glared back and turned on my heel, stomping back to my seat and opening up the book again. I was pissed and annoyed beyond belief.

"Mikan."

I looked up and recognized Takumi immediately. I jumped up and bowed respectfully, plastering a polite smile on my face. Takumi smiled back and gestured for me to follow him. He led me to the set where Ruka, Natsume, Youichi, Luna and a newly recovered Rina were waiting.

"Right, now that we're all here, we can begin the discussion of your roles." Takumi announced, leading me to an empty chair.

"Now, I want no interruptions." Takumi snapped. "The movie is about two lovers, who Ruka and Mikan will be playing. Ruka and Mikan have been together for a long time now and their relationship is quite steady. But there's a problem. Mikan is in love with Ruka's best friend, who Natsume is playing. Natsume loves Mikan as well but can't admit his feelings to her so Natsume's younger brother Youichi steps in and tries to get them together. Rina and Luna are Mikan's arch enemies and would do anything to tear Mikan away from Natsume so of course, this movie will be packed with drama, romance and hilarious moments."

As soon as he finished, I was in shock. Was it just me or did this movie just explain my whole love-life in one paragraph? Well, _my_ love-life and not anyone else's.

"Now," Takumi started. "Let's start the filming!"

In a daze, I made my way to the dressing room reserved for me. Inside I found Hotaru lounging on a cushioned chair reading a mystery novel. When she heard me enter, she set the book down and smirked at me. I knew it. She knew this was going to happen.

"Coffee?" she offered, pouring some of the brew into a black mug.

I collapsed into a nearby chair and buried my face in my hands, groaning in frustration. "Hotaru, I'm going to mess this up! This movie is like my life story!" I cried.

Hotaru smirked again and handed me the mug. "Then you can use it to your advantage."

I nearly dropped the mug in shock. "What?" I exclaimed, eyeing my best friend in surprise.

"Mikan, you know full well just how difficult it is to understand the emotions your character is feeling so you can use your real problems and put them to an advantage by letting yourself use your real emotions."

Comprehension littered my features as I set the mug down and covered my mouth with my free hand. She was right. It was perfect.

"Oh my gosh!" I squeaked. "Thank you so much Hotaru!"

I stood up and began putting on the clothes I needed to wear for the scene shooting. It consisted of a black form-fitting dress, a long silver necklace, and silver round toe heels.

_Knock, knock._

"Sakura?" a muffled voice called from the other side of my dressing room door.

I opened it and came face to face with a pair of crimson eyes, short bobbed hair, and a wide smile. Definitely not Natsume.

"Aoi!" I squealed, hugging the girl.

"Sakura-san," she smiled, hugging me back. "I was sent here by Takumi-san to do your hair and make-up! Isn't this great? It's your first movie and the person directing it is such a famous man! Your career will skyrocket after the premier!"

We chatted as she did my make-up and twisted my hair into an elegant loose ponytail, curling the ends slightly and applying mousse.

"Did you hear about the whole crew going down to the beach for the shooting?" Aoi asked.

My interest perked when I heard the word 'beach' and I knew that if it was really going to happen, it would be one fun trip. Plus, if Kira and Etou were going too, I would most likely never be bored during the duration of the trip.

"No, I've only heard of it now." I finally answered, glancing up at Aoi.

"Well, apparently, the director wants to start filming the harder scenes first so we're going to the beach to shoot the scenes and then we'll be going back to the on-set shooting." Aoi explained. "Some people mentioned that you and onii-chan would be having a lot of scenes together."

I froze in my chair and Hotaru's head snapped up, her eyes meeting mine. I swallowed hard and clenched my hands into fists.

"What kind of scenes?" I asked hesitantly.

Aoi looked up and grinned at me. "Oh, kissing scenes... make-out scenes. The usual."

Hotaru smirked in the background and I shot her a glare. I waited for Aoi to finish my make-up before storming out of my dressing room to find Takumi.

"What is this- this _stuff_ I've been hearing?" I exclaimed, slamming the door to Takumi's office.

The startled guy nearly dropped the clipboard he was holding in his hand. "Sakura-san? Oh, you must be talking about the beach trip." Takumi smiled happily at me. "You should start packing your swimsuits. We'll be leaving the day after tomorrow."

Stunned speechless, I turned and walked out of the office, walking to the day's set and settling myself down in one of the comfortable chairs.

"Mikan-chan."

Etou sat down across from me and grinned, his eyes crinkling a bit at the corners and making him more charming than usual.

"Etou-kun! What are you doing here?" I asked, smiling back.

Etou picked up a bagel that was lying on a glass dish on the center of the table in front of us and took a bite. "Takumi wanted my help. He said that the more professional help he had, the better he would do."

"That's great!" I said, picking up my script. "Does this mean you're coming with us to the beach?"

Etou grinned and nodded, finishing off the bagel in two large bites. "I'll be coming along with the crew for the rest of the filming. That means I'll be staying in Japan until the movie premieres. After that, I'll be on an early flight to Vienna again."

"Is that so?" another voice cut in.

We both turned and saw Kira standing in the doorway, grinning broadly. He has holding a cardboard box in his arms.

"Kira-kun!" I exclaimed, jumping up and taking the box from his tired arms.

"Ah, thanks Mikan-chan." Kira huffed, slumping into a nearby couch. "Could you just set it down in that corner? Takumi told me that it was some important stuff we needed for the filming and that I had to take it here for the time being."

I did as I was told before perching on the spot next to Kira. "You look really tired. Was the box really that heavy Kira-kun?"

"It wasn't heavy at first but it started feeling more... sturdy after a few minutes of walking."

Etou laughed from his spot on the couch, nearly spilling a bit of coffee over the front of his shirt. "Seriously Akihiko?" he snorted. "That is the most lame excuse for someone to use instead of admitting that they're weak."

I looked at the two, Kira bristling from the other's insult and Etou smirking manically at the other. I stepped in between them.

"I'm going to go memorize my script so I'll see you guys some time."

I picked up the thick sheets of paper and walked out of the room, not paying attention to where I was going and flipping through the first scene we would be shooting.

Until I bumped into someone.

"Hey! Watch it!" the guy yelled, sitting up from where he'd fallen flat on his butt.

"Natsume?" I squeaked, standing up and gathering up the papers I'd dropped. I was blushing fiercely as I stuffed the remaining sheets into my folder.

"You missed this." Natsume said, holding out another sheet.

"Thank you." I mumbled, taking it and sticking it inside the folder as well. I looked up and saw Natsume looking out at the window, a serene look crossing his face. I looked out the window too and saw the trees' leaves blowing gently in the light breeze.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he sighed.

My eyes softened and I smiled gently, turning my gaze back to the window. It really was beautiful. But not as beautiful a sight compared to the angelic appearance Natsume rarely took on. I'd only ever seen him at peace at that moment and when he was sleeping.

Natsume turned back to me and smirked. "Well, to make up for bumping into me, you have to treat me to lunch today."

My mouth dropped open in disbelief and I pouted, turning on my heel and stomping to the chair I'd sat on in pure fury.

"And where do you think you're going?" Natsume mused, using a silly sing-song voice I'd never heard.

I grumbled and muttered incoherent strings of profanities under my breath. "Getting my wallet and my purse you dirt bag."

Natsume grinned and held out his arm for me to take. I hesitantly linked my arm through his and let him lead me through the doors and out of the building. He acted like a gentleman, holding doors open for me, and opening the car door for me. Honestly, it was making me suspicious.

"So, where are we eating?" Natsume smirked, pulling out of his parking slot.

"Anywhere." I mumbled back, fidgeting with my hands.

Natsume glanced over at me and smiled softly, a genuine smile that had become more frequent around me and rarer around everyone else.

"Then we're going for Italian food." Natsume announced. "It has reasonable prices so don't worry about burning a hole in your pocket."

Without even waiting for my approval, he just turned onto a side street and took a bunch of shortcuts and sharp turns until we arrived in front of a beautiful cosy little house with a sign saying 'Louigi's Italian Place' in big bold letters outside. The house was painted in pastel shades, giving it a bright look. The roof was made of sturdy brown tile and the windows were long and paneled. Oak double doors were pushed open to reveal a very quaint interior. The floor was carpeted in white velvet and the windows were partially covered by thin white drapes. The walls were decorated with orange patterns, interlaced with gold fleur-de-lis. The tables were glass with comfortable cushioned couches serving as seats. The whole place was empty.

"Wow." I breathed out, admiring the beautiful chandelier hanging in the middle of the whole place, right above a circular bar behind which two familiar boys were mixing up non-alcoholic cocktails.

"Mochu? Koko?" I exclaimed, catching the attention of the aforementioned.

"Mikan-chan!" Koko grinned, recognizing my face immediately. Mochu's face brightened when he heard my name and turned to look at me. Both wiped their hands on their black aprons and opened a side door, stepping out and swooping me into a bear-hug. _Both of them. At the same time._

"C-can't – gasp – b-breathe – gasp – l-let go." I sputtered, trying to breathe.

"Oops, sorry!" Koko grinned, releasing me at the same time that Mochu stepped back and gave me a quick once-over.

"You've... um, matured." Mochu stuttered, turning his face away and blushing.

I lifted a brow in confusion and looked down at my outfit. Black mid-thigh dress, silver heels. Ah.

"Shoot, I forgot to change!" I muttered, thanking the director for adding long sleeves to my dress and making it a turtleneck.

"Regardless, you look good Mikan-chan." Koko cut in, grinning broadly at me.

I took a second to take in his appearances. His sandy-blond hair was messy, giving him a messy appearance. His white button-down was rolled up at the sleeves until his elbows, his collar neat, but his tie a little wrinkled. His black slacks made him more sophisticated.

"You look good as well, Koko."

Koko grinned and I felt slightly relieved that he couldn't read my mind... Did I mention that after graduating from college, he and Mochu had Alice necklaces made? Well, these Alice necklaces were made for the purpose of restraining your Alice. As long as you are wearing the necklace, your Alice is considered non-existent. You can't use it.

I noticed the silver chain peeking out from above his collar and smiled, my suspicions proved right. He really couldn't hear what I was thinking.

"Table for two?" Mochu grinned, finally taking in Natsume's presence beside me.

"Yep." Natsume replied, flicking a few bills at Mochu and heading over to a booth at the back of the restaurant. We got a good view since a window was located beside us.

Koko came by and grinned at both of us. "I presume you'll want two house specials?"

Natsume smirked and nodded as Koko pulled out a small notepad and scribbled something down on the sheet. He tore off the paper and placed it face-down on Natsume's porcelain plate, flashing me a wink and walking into the kitchen, located behind black steel double doors.

"House special?" I repeated, frowning.

"The restaurant has a special dish that only few know about." Natsume explained. "It's pretty good. It's also the reason I come back here frequently."

"I see."

Mochu came by and set down two large glasses of coke in front of us, grinning and then walking off once more. I noticed how excited both boys were to see me and it confused me.

Koko strolled by, saying something I made out to be-

"Five... four... three... two... one."

BANG.

"MIKAN!"

* * *

A/N: Mwahaha. :)) I _love_ cliffhangers! Don't you? :) Ah well, I _tried_ to make this a little longer to make up for being away so long. Sorries! I had to make the most of summer vacation. But anyway, I'll publish the next chapter soon so be patient. I'll make sure to keep it within a span of three to four days. Review _please_. I beg of you. I _need_ criticism. It is my life source. So review please! d-(^O^)-b


	6. Chapter 6

The first thing I felt was shock at hearing the familiar voice. It was strange that I was hearing it again after so many years...

"Kaji Aoi?" I murmured, taking in the sight of the charming blond man panting in front of me.

From across the table, Natsume raised an eyebrow. It made sense that he'd never heard of Kaji. Kaji had been one of my best friends in high school – next to Hotaru of course. In our junior year, a little after Ruka and I had become an official couple, he'd told me that he'd fallen in love with me. I had to decline of course, because I was (as I thought) in love with Ruka. I'd broken his heart and he held a grudge towards me. When rumors spread around the academy that I was having an affair with another guy, I had trusted Kaji to clear things up. But his grudge got the best of him. He said that the rumors were true, and it became one of the most trying times in my life.

_"Mikan! Wait! I can explain!" Kaji yelled, trying to catch up to me._

_ My anger drove me to run faster and I finally outran him. I slumped to the ground behind a couple of trees, blocking me from everybody's view. I heard Kaji's footsteps echoing against the pavement a few minutes later but they passed quickly. _

_ "I swear on my life that never again will I trust you, Kaji Aoi." I announced, more to myself than anyone else. Especially since I was the only one there._

"You!" I exclaimed, standing abruptly and nearly knocking over my drink.

"Mikan! Thank God, I finally meet you again." Kaji said, stepping closer. His hand reached out to touch me but I immediately moved away.

"Sorry Natsume, but I need to go." I muttered harshly, sliding out of the booth and walking out of the restaurant. I knew that Natsume was probably bewildered. That was good. I didn't want him to know anything about Kaji Aoi. In fact, I'd rather he forgot he'd ever seen the guy.

The footfalls behind me alerted my senses. "What happened back there?"

I sighed in relief. Just Natsume.

"Nothing important. Just an old acquaintance. Now," I started. "-could you bring me back to the set? I think I'll skip lunch today."

Natsume's eyes narrowed at me but he took out the car keys and unlocked the doors. I smiled in gratitude and got in, buckling myself in. Natsume didn't say any more as he drove us back to the building. For that, I was glad.

"Mikan! Natsume! Where were you two?" Takumi exclaimed, approaching us. "Natsume, go to your dressing room and get ready for the filming. Mikan, get a touch-up done to your make-up!" he commanded, pushing us in the right direction. "I take my eyes off both of you for a few minutes and you're off frolicking out in public! Now hurry up!"

I was literally shoved into my dressing room where Aoi – oh, I just realized that she and Kaji have the same name – was waiting for me.

"Do you have to redo everything?" I asked meekly.

Aoi grinned. "Nope. I just have to fix up your powder a little and apply just a tad bit of lip gloss." She patted me on my back. "Just make sure that next time, you go out _before_ I do your make-up." I laughed and sat patiently while Aoi made my face look camera-perfect. Sometimes, I wished I could take her with me everywhere. Her skills in making people look beautiful were top-notch.

As soon as touch-ups were done, I rushed out of my dressing room and met up with the rest of the cast at the set. Only Natsume, Ruka, and Rina were present.

"Good, now that everyone's hear, Ruka and Rina would you please step out of the scene?" Takumi asked. "This scene will be a scene dedicated to the star-crossed lovers Natsume and Mikan. Now remember, your screen names are Kaede and Anise."

I took a quick look at the script again, silently memorizing my lines, before setting it back down and standing in place. The set was in the form of a large living room. Natsume sat down on a long couch near me and leaned back, looking relaxed. I gulped, feeling my nerves kicking in. I gathered up all my courage and shoved down all the uneasy feelings, waiting for Takumi's order to start.

"And… Action."

"Kaede, what are you doing here?" I asked, my eyes widening as I stepped back.

Natsume rose and took a few tentative steps towards me. His actions reflected how nervous he was. He was acting out the scene perfectly. "Anise I- I needed to see you," he started, his voice pleading… almost desperate. My heart clenched in my chest.

"I have to ask you to leave," I answered, my voice choking off in the end, just as the script described.

"Why, Anise?" Natsume exclaimed, his voice becoming more desperate. "Tell me why! I know that it's only been a few months but I know you love me too!"

"No, Kaede. Please. I need you to leave." I said, my voice cold.

"Tell me you don't love me, and- and I'll leave. I won't come back." Natsume said, his voice dropping to a low, almost inaudible whisper at the end.

On cue, I cried. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I mumbled, "I can't." The scene came to a close as I turned and fled from the room, leaving a shocked Natsume standing alone. As soon as I was off-camera, I turned to watch Natsume finish the scene; collapsing dramatically and burying his face in his hands.

"And cut!" Takumi declared, smiling. I could tell he was pleased.

"Mikan, that was awesome!" Kira shouted, trotting over to me. His eyes were sparkling and his lips quirked up into a lopsided grin.

Takumi came up to me as well, placing a friendly hand on his brother's shoulder and smiling at me. "Sakura, that was quite an impressive performance." He sighed. "I hope your performance in all the other scenes will be just as good."

An ecstatic grin lit up my face. "I assure you that I will do my very best!"

"Good." Takumi smiled. "Now go get your butt back in there. We're shooting the next scene now."

After going over my lines for the scene and changing into the outfit I needed, I walked back to the set. Ruka and Natsume were talking quietly in the corner and Rina was lounging on the leather sofa.

"All right. Places everyone!"

We all positioned ourselves. Rina stood behind me, Ruka and Natsume stood in hostile stances, facing each other and wearing scary expressions.

"Action!"

"Shut up, Kaede!" Ruka bellowed, fake punching Natsume square in the face. Natsume pretended to take the force of the blow and was thrown to the floor.

"No!" I screamed, moving to help Natsume but Rina held me back by pulling my hair and pinning my arms behind my back. The thing is, she really _was_ doing both and I was in serious pain. "Let me go Miyu!" I screeched, thrashing wildly.

"No, listen up _bitch_," she hissed in my ear. "-it's your fault. You two-timed."

My eyes widened and my body went limp. I knew she was right. My head dropped, my bangs covering my eyes as tears began to fall again.

From across the room, Natsume really kicked into his role as he shoved an enraged Ruka away and rushed to me. "Anise!" he yelled, slapping Miyu across the face – fake of course – and dropping beside me. He took me into his arms and rubbed my arm soothingly. "I'm so sorry," he murmured.

"Get away from her!" Ruka yelled, pulling Natsume away from me.

"No!" I finally screamed. "Let go of him Kaito!"

Ruka, who was playing Kaito, released Natsume and turned to me, confusion flickering over his features. "Why? He hurt you!"

I shook my head, tears spilling over my cheeks. "No, Kaito. I love him."

"Cut!"

All of us regained our composure and Ruka grinned at me, slinging his arm over my shoulder and kissing me on my forehead.

"That was great, Mikan."

I smiled back at him, hugging him around his waist. "You did great, too. Honestly, I'm pretty sure I looked like an amateur acting alongside you and the other two." A frown formed on my face and my smile faded as frustration set in.

"What's wrong, Mikan?"

I shook off the bad feeling and smiled again. "Nothing's wrong. Let's go change and meet outside."

Ruka frowned at me and I felt a slight twinge as I hope that he hadn't seen through my façade "All right. Be out in fifteen minutes!"

I smiled in acknowledgement and retreated to my dressing room again. I slipped out of the clothes I wore for filming and pulled on my black skinny jeans, my blue halter top and my white blazer. Hotaru came in just as I was slipping on my brown suede boots.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked, picking up her black handbag.

"Pretty much." I answered, standing and following her out of the room. She handed me my white purse before setting off down the hall.

We met Natsume and Ruka in the building lobby. Ruka smiled at me and took my hand and I noticed Natsume frown and look away. My stomach did that weird flipping thing and I brushed away the thought, focusing on Ruka.

"Where are we going?"

"We're all going out for dinner." Ruka smiled. "Think of it as some sort of double-date. Just really twisted, you know?"

I laughed and watched as Hotaru and Natsume locked eyes. "Don't even consider the thought." Hotaru muttered in monotone, although one could detect the ice in her tone. Natsume smirked and shrugged in response.

"Who would consider going out with an ice cube?" he remarked, glancing at me meaningfully.

"Well then, let's go!" I said cheerfully.

Over thirty minutes later, we were sitting in an Italian restaurant. Over some weird decision, Natsume was sitting beside me and Ruka and Hotaru sat across from us. It felt kind of awkward and I avoided looking at Natsume as much as possible. He didn't make it any easier for me, though.

"What do you guys think of that beach trip Takumi planned for all of us?" Ruka asked.

Natsume smirked and shook his head. "It's the most stupid thing I've ever heard of. I mean, why do _all of us_ have to come if not everyone is going to be part of the beach part of the movie?"

I frowned at him. "Well, after thinking about it, it seems like a pretty good idea."

Hotaru chewed on a bread stick and regarded all of us with utter seriousness. "I think it's a good chance to stock up on seafood."

Ruka chuckled and took a sip of his Coke. "I think it's a good idea, too. And I think the only reason Takumi wanted everyone to go was so that no one would feel left out. We are going to a pretty luxurious resort. And the place is reserved for us specifically."

The food came and we all ate and talked. Ruka, Natsume, and Hotaru were talking about the beach we would be going to so I took the opportunity to think about what happened during filming. Rina.

Why did she _actually_ hurt me? I mean, I was pretty confident that it wasn't because she wanted to look like a good actress because she tried to hide the fact that she was really hurting me. How I know that she was hiding it? She was trying to keep it subtle so that Takumi wouldn't notice. But what did I ever do to her for her to hurt me so badly?

"Mikan?"

I looked up and saw Ruka eyeing me in concern. I smiled and waved off any suspicions. "Sorry, I just spaced out for a bit."

I continued eating my pasta and tried to appear like I was fine. Unfortunately, someone saw through my act. And seriously? His stare was beginning to torment me.

Subtly, I glared at him and mouthed a 'what?' He continued staring, his eyes narrowing and his lips tightening. Not a good sign. He was losing his patience. I rolled my eyes and turned back to my food, joining in the conversation.

After dinner, we all took a walk down the bay. The night lights were beautiful to look at when you were by the ocean and I stopped to watch the moon.

"What's wrong with you?"

I jumped and noticed Natsume standing beside me, leaning on the iron railing. He was staring at me again, his hands stuffed in his pockets in his typical bad-boy way. I noticed that the girls passing by were eyeing him with interest.

"Nothing is wrong with me." I answered, turning back to the moon.

"Is this about Kobayashi earlier during the filming?" Natsume whispered, only loud enough for me to hear. My eyes widened and my eyes snapped to his face warily.

"How did you know about that?" I hissed, keeping my tone low.

"I know because there was no way your face could have reflected so much pain if it wasn't actually being inflicted on you." Natsume answered, eyes roaming the waters. "And the pain in your tone was quite… heart-wrenching. I don't know how the others didn't see it."

Without thinking, I answered his question. "Because you've always been watching me closely."

Natsume's eyes reflected his amusement and his lips twitched as he fought back another one of his smirks. "So you do understand how I feel about you."

I looked away, feeling my cheeks flush in embarrassment. I remained silent and only a shiver running through my body made me aware of how cold it had gotten. I rubbed my hands up and down my arms, trying to warm them. Natsume seemed to notice since he pulled off his black scarf and wrapped it around my neck. He pulled off his gloves as well and slipped my hands into them.

"But what about you?" I asked.

"I have natural body heat." Natsume muttered. "Fire alice, remember?"

I nodded in understanding and smiled at Natsume in gratitude – something I'd been doing a lot lately. It was strange… how close we'd gotten in just a day.

"We should go." Natsume said. "Ruka and Hotaru went into an electronics shop earlier. Said they would meet us in a bit."

I nodded and when Natsume held out his hand for me to take, I placed my hand in his meekly. We walked down the avenue hand in hand and I was aware that we looked very much like a couple. I blushed at the thought of it and was grateful when Natsume released my hand.

"Ruka."

Comprehension ran through me. That was why he'd released my hand. If Ruka had seen us, he would've concluded something.

"Where were you two?" Ruka asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The baka strayed behind so I went looking for her. She looked just about ready to fall over the railing." Natsume said, his usual smirk in place.

"Whatever." I laughed, linking my arm through Ruka's and giving Natsume a meaningful look… I don't know why I did… but I did. I don't know what Natsume saw in that look but he seemed to like it since he flashed me a quick smile – rare – and winked – even rarer.

Somehow, as Ruka and I said goodbye to Hotaru and Natsume to head back for the night, I felt content. I felt happy. I felt emotions stirring in me that I hadn't felt in a long, long time. Emotions I'd only really felt in the short times I'd spent with Natsume in our high school days. The emotions I'd locked up in a box for so long in fear that they would only bring me more pain. The pent-up emotions that overflowed to the point that they'd burst out and made their presence known to me.

Once again, I was falling head-over-heels in love with Natsume Hyuuga. And, once again, I liked it.

* * *

A/N: Oh my gosh. I have _finally_ published Chapter 6. I'm so sorry for the delay! I'm not going to make excuses since I should have been more responsible. :( So sorry. Anyway, I hope this chapter is good. I've finally introduced the new character Kaji Aoi. :D You'll learn more about him in the next few chapters. I'll also reveal more about Etou and Kira. :) Look forward to the beach trip! There are going to be many... 'scenes' and the filming will be even more dramatic!

Oh, and thanks to everyone who left reviews! They really made my day. I don't know why but it's exciting to hear what everyone has to say! Questions? Leave a review! I'll be sure to get back to you ASAP.


	7. Chapter 7

It'd been three hours since we arrived at the beach resort nestled on a large island away from civilization. It was perfect really. We were isolated in paradise.

"Sakura-san! Let's go swimming!" Aoi suggests, sitting down on my large white bed.

I turn to her, my face lighting up. "That's a great idea Aoi-chan!" I turn to my open bag and rummage through it for my swimsuit. "By the way, you can call me Mikan! Sakura-san just seems so formal." When I finally pull out my two-piece, I blush slightly.

"What's wrong Mikan-chan?" Aoi asks, putting a timid hand on my shoulder.

I stop blushing and smile gently at her. "Nothing. I just sort of started imagining how embarrassing it would be to wear this around the guys."

Aoi frowned slightly and then grinned at me. "It's nothing you should worry about! They'll like it!"

I smile again and watch as she skips out of my room to change into her own swimsuit. Sighing, I change into mine and slip on a white cover-up and my white flip-flops. I rubbed on some sunblock and grabbed my sun glasses before stepping out of my cottage and making my way to Aoi's.

I didn't have to walk very far since she met me halfway there. She grinned and linked her arm through mine as we walked to the beach.

"Mikan! Aoi-chan!" a voice called from behind us.

"Ah! Onii-chan!" Aoi exclaimed. I nearly froze in my steps. Turning slightly, I saw Ruka and Natsume walking towards us. Ruka was wearing navy blue swim shorts and nothing else but a pair of flip-flops. Natsume was the same, except he had on black swim shorts with a red band. I nearly blushed but turned my eyes from him in time.

"Ruka!" I greeted, stepping closer and kissing my boyfriend on the cheek. Natsume visibly bristled beside him and I suppressed a smug smile.

"Are you guys going to go for a swim?" Ruka asked, taking my hand.

I nodded. "Yup! Aoi and I were thinking of taking a swim and then renting some kayaks later." I told him. I watched as Natsume raised his eyebrow at Aoi and I wondered what that was about. Over Ruka's shoulder, I saw Hotaru approaching us.

"Ah! Hotaru! Are you going to the beach, too?" I asked.

Hotaru smiled slightly. "I'm planning to. But not for long. I'm going to check out the buffet later." She turned her attention to Natsume. "Hyuuga, you owe me nine hundred yen."

I raised my eyebrow at this but Hotaru ignored me and Natsume was looking away, a faint blush tainting his cheeks pink. I couldn't help but notice how cute he looked. I needed to get a hold of myself.

"Well! Let's go then!" Ruka said, pulling me to the beach with him.

The beach was a long strip of sand with clear blue water and three large gazebos strategically positioned by the sand. We all bustled into one and applied more sunblock. No one wanted to get a sunburn since we would be filming.

"Come on, Mikan-chan!" Aoi said, stripping off her dress and revealing a halter one-piece. She looked good in it and I hesitated slightly as I removed my dress to reveal my cobalt blue halter two-piece. I noticed Natsume swallowing hard and looking away and Ruka blushing red as he admired me in the suit. Oh well, he was my boyfriend anyway. Hotaru slipped off her button-up blouse to reveal a lilac tankini.

"Shall we?" Ruka laughed, standing up and following us girls out of the gazebo.

We had fun in the water and even Natsume loosened up enough to laugh openly when Ruka and I tackled him in the water. Kira and Etou showed up around thirty minutes later and joined in the fun as well. Everything was carefree and easy.

"Hey, anyone up for a little kayaking?" Aoi yelled from the beach, standing beside seven kayaks.

Everyone exchanged glances before laughing and racing to shore to grab their kayaks. I paddled steadily in the calm water. Everyone had gone ahead so I lagged behind. A little later on, Natsume came up beside me.

"Hey."

I smiled. "Hi."

"Why aren't you with everyone up front?" Natsume asked, keeping pace with me. He turned to look at me and a concerned look crossed his features.

I smiled at him and shrugged. "I guess I just wanted to enjoy the view."

"What view?" he snorted sarcastically. "All you can see is water and those idiots trying to maneuver in water. Not quite picture-perfect to me."

I laughed outright and deliberately splashed some water on him using my paddle. I giggled a little more and sped up my pace, leaving a shocked Natsume in my wake. I heard him growl playfully and speed up as well. I squealed when water was flung on me.

Our little water-fight lasted about a few minutes until we both fell out of our kayaks in the shallow water, laughing so hard that our sides started to hurt.

"That was fun." I sighed, when I finally got over my giggling fit.

Natsume smirked and leaned against his upturned kayak, locking gazes with me. "Yeah, that was."

Something about his gaze was starting to burn me and I found myself drawing closer. There was no denying it, his eyes could capture me in seconds. I never met anyone else who could do the same thing to me.

"Wait," I said, moving away. "Ruka."

Natsume rolled his eyes and moved the kayak so it blocked their view of us and then pulled me back to him, his arms locking around my waist. "Now will you kiss me?" he growled, pressing his lips to mine hungrily. My knees buckled but Natsume held me up and my arms wound around his neck as I pressed myself closer to him.

It felt good kissing him. It had been so long since I was able to and I missed the warm feeling I would get whenever he would touch me. When we pulled away, he rested his forehead on mine.

"Natsume! Mikan!"

Once again, we quickly moved away from each other. I grabbed my paddle and my kayak and moved out from behind Natsume's to face Kira.

"Sorry, we capsized."

Kira grinned and offered his hand to help me up. I took it and found myself sitting in the back of his kayak. Natsume was already paddling ahead of us. I smiled at his back before turning away again.

"Come on, let's get back to shore." Ruka told everyone. He saw me sitting with Kira and frowned. "Did your kayak get damaged?"

I laughed and shook my head. "Nope. It flipped over."

Fifteen minutes later we were all sitting in the gazebo. The boys wanted to play a game so us girls agreed to join as well. Ruka and Natsume both wore smug smiles as they whispered to Kira and Etou. All their faces lit up and I swear Kira was trying to suppress a laugh.

"All right then." Etou started. "Shall we begin?"

Aoi, Hotaru and me exchanged glances and nodded warily, not sure why the boys looked like they had a stitch in their sides.

Kira pulled an empty glass bottle out of his backpack and spun it on the tabletop and I groaned in disbelief. SPIN THE BOTTLE? SERIOUSLY? I thought that was something only college and high school students did!

The three of us watched in anticipation as the bottle slowly came to a stop... pointing in my direction. Shit. Kira was going to kiss me.

I looked up and saw Kira's eyes widen. Natsume and Ruka didn't look too pleased but sucked it up anyway. Hey, it was their fault! They suggested the game. So when Kira sat beside me and leaned in, I decided to play a prank on the two. I kissed back. Yes, I did. When Kira pressed his lips against mine, I responded. I admit that I exaggerated it slightly but Kira smiled against my lips so I knew he'd caught on to what I was up to. Ah, the joys of having a confidante.

"What was that all about?" Ruka exclaimed. He was furious.

I laughed and shrugged. "It was a friendly kiss." Natsume glared at me in disapproval and I smiled angelically right back. "I guess it's my turn then." I announced.

I spun the bottle and crossed my fingers as it slowly stopped spinning. And guess who it landed on? Geez. This was like something that only happened in movies. Sure, sure! Let the bottle land on the guy you _actually_ have feelings for!

"All right onii-chan, pucker up!" Aoi chirped, looking thoroughly amused.

Natsume remained neutral on the outside but I could see the mischievous glint in his eyes as I sat down next to him. I bit my lip and hoped he wouldn't do anything suggestive. Leaning in, I placed a quick kiss on his lips and then pulled away. I could see the disappointment cross his features but he shrugged and spun the bottle anyway.

It landed on Aoi.

All of us except the two siblings burst into wild laughter. Would he do it? Of course he would. He had to. It was in the rules of the game.

Aoi looked disgusted and Natsume looked like he would rather swallow a live octopus than do it. Unfortunately, we weren't letting these two get off so easily. We pushed them closer and Aoi's face wrinkled in disgust as Natsume hesitated, bringing his lips closer to hers. But before he did it, he pulled away.

"Just so you know, this is a once in a lifetime thing."

And then he kissed her. It was more like a peck actually. If I blinked I would have missed it. No worries though, Hotaru was capturing it all on video camera. I think she'd been video-taping the whole thing.

After the afternoon of fun, we all drank a truck-load of coffee for our night filming. Takumi wanted to capture a few scenes during the sunset and then do some midnight filming to increase the excitement in the film. I liked his idea so I went along.

Dressed in extremely short shorts and a fitted red tank top, I stepped into the large tent that had been erected for make-up and hair.

"Aoi-chan!" I called out.

She turned and when she saw me her face lit up. "Come on! I have a few things I need to do to your hair so it looks like you just got out of the ocean." Her eyes raked over my outfit. "Nice clothes by the way."

My hair was done up into a messy half ponytail and the only make-up on my face was foundation and lip gloss. Aoi put a red flower in my hair to add to the whole beach look before pushing me out of the tent to go to the shooting.

"Takumi-san!"

He turned and when he saw me, he smiled and nodded in approval. "I knew those would look good on you. Now join Natsume on the beach and look pretty."

I walked over to where Natsume stood, hands in his pockets, staring out at the waves. He looked over at me when I reached him and nodded in greeting. I smiled back and looked out at the setting sun.

A few minutes later Takumi finally walked over to us to give us our instructions. "All right guys. This is going to be a kissing scene between you two so I need you to make it look real. I need chemistry. I want fifteen seconds of heat so get ready." He turned to walk away. "And don't forget the script."

We watched Takumi as he signaled for us to start and then positioned ourselves. Natsume sat down on the sand, his arms around his knees. I sat cross-legged beside him, my hands on my lap.

"Action."

"What are you doing here, Anise? Shouldn't you be with Kaito?" Natsume asked me, eyes roaming the ocean nonchalantly.

I looked down and bit my lip, blushing slightly. "I was taking a walk and I saw you here."

Natsume snorted and shook his head. "Just admit that you followed me here. I heard you on my way here." He looked over at me, smirking. "You don't do a very good job at being stealthy."

My blush deepened, knowing that I was caught. I looked back at the ocean and sighed in contentment. I saw Natsume look over at me questioningly so I smiled to myself. "The ocean is beautiful. Especially since it's the sunset."

"Sunsets get boring after a while." Natsume retorted. "I'd rather watch the sunrise."

I smirked at him for once and raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you out here at this time in the evening? That's what most people do out here."

Natsume remained blank. "I came here to escape. To think."

My expression softened and my gaze lingered on his face. "What is it that you needed to think about that you had to come out here?"

"You," he said simply, locking eyes with me.

Following the script, I brought a hand up to his face and pulled him closer to me. Our lips met and I felt a shiver run up my spine. He deepened the kiss and I slowly counted to fifteen in my head before pulling away. We were both breathing heavily.

"Cut!" Takumi yelled.

Natsume stood up and offered his hand to me. I took it and he helped me up. "Good job out there," Natsume told me before walking over to Ruka.

I walked towards Ruka as well but I noticed that he looked extremely... agitated. Natsume looked frustrated as he walked away, shaking his head. I frowned and approached Ruka, worrying about his reaction. He and Natsume were best friends. Were they fighting? Ruka saw me and the agitation dimmed slightly but it's presence was still tangible.

"Ruka, what's wrong?" I asked him.

He looked away from me and ran a hand through his hair. "Can I talk to you in private Mikan?" He looked at me and smiled gently. "It won't take long."

I followed him to a small secluded spot near the beach and sat down on a hammock that hung between two large palm trees. Ruka sat beside me as well and took my hand in both of his. He didn't speak for a few moments, probably relishing the silence. And then he spoke.

"What are your feelings for Natsume Hyuuga?"

* * *

A/N: Hey guys! I'm so sorry about the late update! I also know that this isn't a very good chapter but I will **_definitely_** come up with better ideas for the next chapter! REVIEW PLEASE! Also, if you have any suggestions for the beach trip or any scenes you want me to include, message me or leave a review. ;)


	8. Chapter 8

"What are your feelings for Natsume Hyuuga?"

Shock. It pulsed through me and I couldn't help but ask him to repeat himself. Was I hearing clearly? "What do you mean?" I asked.

Ruka turned to me and took both my hands in his, a gentle look on his face. "Mikan, I know that you still love Natsume. And as much as it hurts me to say this, I know that if I really do love you, I should let you go." He stopped for a second, letting me take it all in. "I need you to know that I will support your relationship with him and I'll always be there for you. But so help me if you leave him for another man, I am dragging your ass to Hokkaido."

I laughed slightly but I was still stunned. "You knew all along?" I asked meekly.

Ruka sighed and smiled sadly. "Yeah. I always knew that you running back into his arms was inevitable. You love him too much."

I started crying as I hugged him fiercely. Ruka patted my back comfortingly. "I will always love you, Mikan. But right now, Natsume needs you more than I do. Go to him and tell him how you feel," he told me. I pulled away and nodded, smiling through my tears. I kissed him on the cheek and hugged him one last time.

"Thank you, Ruka." I murmured. "I'll always have a special place for you in my heart."

I started running, happiness overwhelming me. I felt like I could scream and jump for joy. And yet, sadness still held a part of me. I took a backward glance at Ruka and smiled at him one last time before turning back and seeking out Natsume.

When I reached the set, I went straight to Takumi. "Takumi-san! Do you know where Natsume went? I need to talk to him."

Takumi frowned and shook his head. "Sorry, I don't. Why don't you ask Aoi-chan?"

I left and found Aoi in the hair and make-up station. She smiled when she saw me walk into the tent. "Hi Mikan-chan! Do you need something? Did Takumi-san send you here for touch-ups?"

"Nope. I'm looking for your brother," I told her. "Have you, by any chance, seen him?"

"Actually he came in here not too long ago," Aoi said. "He said he was going to his cottage for a while to lay down before they need him for the filming." A confused look crossed her face. "Why? Has anything happened?"

I shook my head and smiled. "No. I just need to talk to him about something important."

Before I left the tent, Aoi called out to me. I turned back to her. "Good luck Mikan-chan! Go get him," she said with a wink.

Grinning, I set off to Natsume's cottage. I felt so light. Like a burden was lifted off my shoulders. I could finally be free to love him without anything holding me back. I couldn't wait to tell him everything. I was sure he would be as happy as me.

I walked up the steps to the front of Natsume's cottage and knocked on the door. The lights were on inside, indicating that he was there, but no one was answering the door. I frowned and knocked louder. Still no response. That was strange. Natsume was never known to be a heavy sleeper so he should have woken up the first time I knocked if he was asleep. I started feeling uneasy so I turned the knob and found the door unlocked. Even stranger. I stepped inside and found the bed neatly made but no sign of Natsume. His bathroom door was closed and the light was on so I knocked on it.

"Natsume?" I called out, the uneasy feeling getting stronger.

When there was no response, my gut instinct told me to open the door. I slowly pushed it open and nearly screamed when I saw Natsume lying on the floor unconscious, a small puddle of blood beside him. My need to take care of people kicked in and I ran over to him. His pulse was weak and he looked deathly pale. I carefully lifted him and, with some effort, managed to get him on his bed.

Picking up the phone, I contacted the front desk. "Hello? I need a doctor in cottage 302 immediately! Someone is unconscious!"

I bustled into the bathroom and wet a cloth with warm water before running back out and wiping off the sweat that had gathered on Natsume's face and neck. Worry started to overcome me as I silently paced the room, waiting for medical help to arrive.

"Hello? This is the doctor!"

I cried out in relief and wrenched the door open to let in an old man carrying a first aid. A nurse hurried in after him. "What happened to him?"

I always knew that Natsume's alice slowly drained him of his life. Back when we were in school he was always sent on missions, draining him of energy and shortening his life span. Sometimes he would start coughing out blood and get a high fever but it had never gotten this bad.

"He's quite sickly but he's never fainted before," I told the doctor.

He nodded and began setting up the machines. I sat down on one of the chairs and watched silently as they gave him medicine for his fever and injected an IV into his wrist. After about an hour, the doctor turned to me, looking slightly worried.

"All he needs is to get some rest. He should avoid any physical activity for the rest of today and tomorrow and should be monitored constantly."

"Thank you doctor. Do you know what caused him to black out?" I asked.

The doctor scratched his chin in frustration. "I can't pinpoint the exact reason he fainted but too much stress is bad for him. His condition is very delicate and too much physical exertion could also be quite a problem. I suggest he refrain from getting angry as well."

I let out a groan as I sit down again after the doctor and his assistant left. I watched Natsume sleeping peacefully on his bed, still hooked to the machines. The reality of his sickness hit me full-on.

I stood and sat on the edge of his bed, taking his hand in mine. "I love you Natsume," I murmured quietly, caressing his face.

I watched him for about half an hour until my cell phone started ringing. I fumbled with it and accepted the call. An angry Takumi was on the other line and I realized that I'd forgotten to inform the crew that Natsume had collapsed and needed to have someone with him.

_"-realize how difficult it is for me to have two leading roles missing for the most important scenes? It's downright stressful!"_

I cut in before he could say anymore. "Takumi-san, Natsume collapsed in his cottage so I had to call a doctor. He needs to be watched so I can't leave his side." I heard the sharp intake of breath on the other line and people murmuring in the background. I then realized he was on loudspeaker. "The doctor said Natsume has to rest today and tomorrow."

After rearranging mine and Natsume's filming schedules, some of the cast came to see if Natsume was all right. Ruka, Hotaru, Aoi, Kira and Etou had heard of the news and were the first ones to arrive. Ruka immediately rushed to his best friend's side.

"How long was he unconscious?" he asked me.

I brushed the hair off Natsume's forehead. "Not long. I came by his cottage looking for him and found him on his bathroom floor."

Aoi carefully sat on the edge of her brother's bed, fixing the blankets so that they covered him. "Poor onii-chan. We've always known that he's had bad health but he's never really fainted from it before." She sighed sadly. "I hope his condition doesn't worsen anymore. He hardly uses his alice so this shouldn't be happening anymore."

Kira pulled a chair up beside me and sat down. "Does the doctor know what caused him to collapse? I mean, this is obviously not a normal symptom of a fever."

"Well, the doctor doesn't know. But he says that Natsume needs a lot of bed rest."

Hotaru sat down on the foot of the bed and Etou took the spot beside Aoi. I reminded myself to look into that later on. Ruka sat beside Hotaru, their hands touching. I noticed the faint blush on Hotaru's cheeks and the small smile on Ruka's lips. Way to go, Hotaru!

Now, what about Kira? I mean, he had to have someone he liked. Even someone from the cast! Gosh, I loved playing matchmaker.

And then I noticed Etou looking at me strangely. I mouthed a 'what?' to him and watched him jerk his head toward Hotaru and Ruka. I smiled and put up a finger to tell him to wait. I would explain that to everyone later on. Most preferably when Natsume was awake.

We all stayed in Natsume's cottage that night, finding a spot to sleep in. Aoi curled up on an armchair and was the first to fall asleep. Etou stretched out on a pull-out bed. Ruka and Hotaru shared the long couch. Kira took the last available armchair and drifted off a few minutes later. I stayed by Natsume's side, gently running my fingers through his hair and admiring his peaceful face. I soon fell asleep holding his hand in mine, still seated by his bed.

I dreamt of the time when I was still a freshman, a little after Natsume's feelings for me were made clear, when I was confused.

_I was sitting on the lowest branch of the Sakura tree, admiring the full moon that was casting a silvery beam of light on the dew-lit grass. Everything was peaceful and the leaves rustled gently in the cold breeze. It was almost fall, so it made sense that it was starting to get chilly._

_ "Polka? What are you doing here? It's 1:37 in the morning." _

_ I looked down and saw Natsume looking up at me from his spot on the ground. I smiled slightly and shrugged my shoulders._

_ "Couldn't sleep. I thought coming out here would be refreshing," I answered._

_ Natsume shook his head in exasperation and let out a long sigh before swinging himself up beside me. He was wearing his high school uniform under a thick coat compared to me in sweatpants and a thermal sweater. I suspected that he'd been sent on one of his missions again. _

_ "What are you doing out here?" I asked him._

_ Natsume shrugged and continued to look up at the moon. "I was finishing up the book report and when I got out, I saw you here."_

_ Hm, that made sense as to why he was still in his uniform. I guess that meant he wasn't sent on a mission. Besides, he was probably telling the truth about seeing me because the library had a good view of the Sakura tree._

_ "Natsume?"_

_ "Hn."_

_ "How long have you liked me?" I don't know why I even asked him that but some part of me was really curious to see what he had to say._

_ Natsume was clearly blushing but he answered truthfully. "Six years."_

_ My eyes softened as they gazed lovingly at my best friend. He was still the one person who understood me the most. I wondered if what I felt for him was the same. Did I love him too? Well, of course I did. But did I love him in the way he loved me?_

_ "Thank you, Natsume," I murmur._

_ He looks up at me curiously and I smile at him. "Thank you for always being there for me, and always knowing what I truly felt. It's thanks to you that I am the way I am now." I kissed him on his cheek and jumped down from the branch. I looked back up and waved, mouthing 'goodnight' before I turned and ran back to my room. I had a feeling I would be able to sleep better._

My eyes opened slowly and adjusted to the light. I sat up slowly, stretching my aching muscles and rubbing my aching back. Everyone else was still asleep.

"Good morning, Natsume," I whispered to his sleeping figure, brushing the hair off his forehead again.

And then I jumped when his eyes opened to look into mine. They narrowed slightly as the light momentarily blinded him but slowly widened to their original size. He smiled slightly when he saw me and the hand I was holding squeezed slightly.

"Oh my gosh, are you all right? Does anything hurt?" I asked him.

"Stop it, baka."

I laughed softly and sat down again. Natsume was okay. If he had enough energy to insult me first thing in the morning, I was sure he would be fine. I watched as his eyes flickered around and widen. He turned to look at me and raised an eyebrow.

"What happened to you and Ruka?" he asked, a menacing tone in his voice.

I smile slightly and grip his hand tighter. "He and I broke up. It was a mutual decision." Natsume's hand lifted and gently touched my cheek. I leaned into his touch. "He told me that you need me more than he does."

Natsume froze. Fear gripped my heart. His eyes stared into mine lifelessly. "He knew?"

I nod. "He told me he'd always known. He said it was 'inevitable'." Relief washed over me as Natsume smiled – a real smile – and his eyes became bright. His body relaxed and his fingers intertwined with mine. I felt like Jell-O.

"So, you can finally be mine?" Natsume mused, his smile growing wider.

I laughed softly and nodded. "I've always been yours. I just wouldn't admit it," I chirped, leaning closer and pressing a chaste kiss to his lips.

Natsume smirked. "Well, now that you finally admit it, what are you going to do about that idiot?" he asked, staring pointedly at Kira, still sleeping on the armchair he'd been on the previous night. Natsume didn't look too happy that he was there.

"What about Kira?" I asked, confused.

Natsume snorted and rolled his eyes. "Of course you wouldn't notice. The idiot is in love with you."

My eyes widened as I registered what he said. Kira was in love with me? And then the night I had dinner with Kira at the restaurant came flooding back.

"_How did you expect me to move on?"_

_Kira regarded me seriously, holding my gaze with his eyes. "I expected you to fall more in love with someone who deserved you, unlike Hyuuga. Someone who could treat you right and never hurt you... someone who would protect your heart."_

"_And who did you think that someone was?" I whispered._

"_Me."_

Groaning, I let my head fall into my hands. "Just great. Another one I have to deal with." I sighed and looked back up at Natsume who wore a thoroughly amused expression. "What?"

Natsume chuckled and mussed up my hair like I was a little kid. "You make it seem like guys falling on love with you is a regular occurrence." He laughed and I joined in. "Just tell him that you don't like him the same way he likes you."

"I will," I answered truthfully.

Natsume smiled and then sat up. I didn't bother trying to stop him because I knew that he would just brush me away and tell me he was fine.

"Do you think you could have breakfast sent here?" he asked me.

I grinned and walked over to the phone. I ordered our breakfasts and everyone else's so that when they woke up they wouldn't have to go all the way to the restaurant. It didn't take them long to bring the food. It turned out Natsume was starving from not being able to eat dinner the night before.

"Mm, onii-chan?"

Natsume and I both turned to Aoi who was stretching her arms and looking at both of us, groggy-eyed. Her eyes widened when she saw him sitting up and eating like everything was normal. Her eyes then went down to our hands, still intertwined.

"So, you two finally made up?" she asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Who made up?" a sleepy voice cut in. We all turned and saw Etou stretching out as well. When he saw me and Natsume he snorted. "Geez, everyone knew these two would make up eventually."

An evil thought came to mind and I turned to Natsume, a smirk visible on my face. "Mm-hm. Actually Natsume, I wanted to tell you something. Etou is interested in your little sister!" Behind me, Etou paled. I mentally snickered at Aoi's shocked look as her eyes landed on the spiky-haired lad.

"You are?" she asked, shock in her eyes.

Etou smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Well, that's not exactly how I planned on telling you." He shot me a meaningful glare and I smiled innocently back at him. "But yeah. I have been since I met you during the first day of filming."

Aoi smiled gently at him. "I've liked you since then, too."

Natsume and I watched the scene unfold before our eyes and I laughed quietly. Natsume looked on without any emotion on his face, although I swear I saw a flicker of amusement in his eyes.

"Etou," he cut in. A nervous Etou turned to face the scary older brother and waited with bated breath. "You can have her. But if you hurt a hair on her head, I will make your life a living hell. And you can count on experiencing the worst pain in the world."

Etou swallowed hard at the threat but sighed in relief. "Thanks man."

Aoi smiled thankfully at her brother and threw her arms around him. "Thank you onii-chan," she whispered in his ear before pulling away and taking Etou's hand. We watched her drag him outside happily.

"Hm, that was nice," I told Natsume. He simply smiled and pulled me to him to kiss me. I had a feeling I could get used to it

* * *

A/N: Hey guys! I've finally updated! I believe this is one of my better chapters although it depressed me to write about Natsume getting sick. :( I hope you all like it! REVIEW PLEASE! I'm going to need suggestions for the filming! If you guys have any cool ideas, _please please please_ leave me a message or a review. I'll update soon!


	9. Chapter 9

Things couldn't get any better. I finally could have an open relationship with Natsume Hyuuga, my acting career was taking a head-start, I had the most supportive friends ever, and I was at one of the most luxurious beach resorts in the world!

But then again, when things get too good, something comes along and sends you toppling again.

It had been three days since filming had resumed and the gossip about Ruka breaking up with me and Natsume and I getting together spread like wildfire.

"WAH! Is it true, Mikan? Oh my gosh! Natsume isn't single anymore!" girls cried.

Personally, they all gave me one huge headache. No, a migraine was more like it. But only one person could really affect me; Rina Kobayashi. I knew that she had a gigantic crush on Natsume but I didn't expect that it would lead her to do such... extravagant pranks. Her time outside filming was spent making my life a living hell. How you ask? Let me narrate.

I was walking back to my cottage to change into more comfortable clothes for dinner when I was intercepted by a furious Rina. She gave me a vicious glare before grabbing my arm and sinking her nails in.

"Shit! Rina! Stop!" I yelled, clutching my arm in pain.

She sneered at me and tightened her grip. I winced as the pain became unbearable. I sank to the ground and she finally released me. My arm was throbbing and bleeding where her nails had dug into the skin. Oh God. How the hell was I going to explain this to everyone?

"Well Mikan, seems you finally were able to detach yourself from Natsume," Rina spat.

I peered up at her through the curtain of hair blocking my eyes. She looked scary. Almost demonic. "What do you think you're doing?" I hissed.

She let out a disbelieving huff and crossed her arms over her chest. "Excuse me? Who are you to speak to me like that?" she snarled, grabbing a fistful of my hair and yanking it. I winced as I felt a few strands rip out of my scalp. I bit down on my lip to prevent from crying out in pain and restrained my tears. I wasn't going to allow Rina to see my weaker side. Not at all.

"What do you want?" I asked through gritted teeth.

Rina smirked and released me. I immediately moved away from her. She approached me and delivered a swift, painful kick to my side. "I want you to break up with Natsume. And give him to me."

My eyes widened and I shook my head fervently, opening my mouth to protest. I'd just gotten with him, the one guy I could ever truly love, and she wanted me to break up with him so _she_ could have him? Impossible! No! I wouldn't do it!

Rina let out a bored sigh and kneeled down beside me, putting on a sweet smile. "Sorry _Mikan-chan_, but you really have no choice."

I lifted an eyebrow in confusion, my lips pressing together in a thin line. "I don't understand."

Rina leaned closer to me. "You see Mikan, I've loved Natsume since we were in high school. I always tried to get him to notice me. Unfortunately, he was too busy screwing with all those other sluts to get your attention, thus my hatred towards you. You _messed him up_. Now, my dad is a yakuza boss. He desperately wants me to marry Natsume and will do _anything_ for me to get him. Including... finishing off the competition," Rina finished with a small smirk. "Now, if you still choose to stay with him, I might have to do something to your other friends. Like that Aoi? And Anna and Nonoko. I'm sure they'll just love knowing that they were tortured because of your decision to stick with Natsume."

I was stunned silent as I let my shoulders slump in defeat. I couldn't beat her at her game. She had gained control over my loved ones and I couldn't let her hurt them because of me.

"Fine," I choked out. "But on one condition."

Rina cocked a brow and her lisp slanted upwards at the corners. "A condition? Hm, this should be interesting. But go ahead."

I muffled a sob as I looked away, letting the tears fall freely. "I can't bear to break up with Natsume. It's too... difficult. I'll make _him_ break up with _me_." She smiled cruelly as she motioned for me to go on. "I'll cheat on him. I'll let him catch me."

Rina sighed in contentment and rose, dusting sand off of her black shorts. "I never knew you had it in you, Mikan-chan. I'm sure that after all this is over and done with, we'll become the best of friends."

I watched her strut off with hatred filling my every nerve. I let out a frustrated scream as sobs racked my body once more. Once again, my happiness was crushed. I didn't know what would happen to me after everything but I was pretty sure I would resemble a zombie for a few days before going back to my old state; dull and lifeless.

Drying my tears, I rose to my feet and retreated to my bathroom. In the bathtub, I gathered all my strength and pushed back tears. I was doing it for my friends. I needed to do it.

I slipped on my black maxi dress and my white flip-flops, letting my hair fall freely around my shoulders. It would be my last night with Natsume before I would have to build the walls between us again. It was tearing me apart but I had to keep it together and just be me. I had to show Natsume my happy side before everything between us was to be put in the past and forgotten. I felt dreadful. Honestly, I wished that a bulldozer would come out of nowhere and run me down. I would rather die than watch Natsume return to ignoring me again. But I couldn't die. NO. I was doing it.

"What's wrong with you?" Natsume asked, frowning at me as he caught up to my pace.

I immediately slowed and smiled at him. "Nothing is wrong. Just thinking about the filming and all, you know? It's sort of hard to act melancholy when I'm cheerful at heart."

Natsume's frown disappeared and was replaced by the special smile he only showed around me. He intertwined his fingers with mine and gently pulled me along with him. "Come on. Everyone is waiting for us at the restaurant."

Dinner was fun. Well, it was as fun as it could get. Rina wasn't there – probably allowing me just a speck of enjoyment before she took over. Hotaru and Ruka became an official couple and there were a couple of jeers and mocking comments before Hotaru pulled out her baka gun and everyone shut up. I chuckled to myself and continued picking at my salad. What relieved me was that no one seemed to see through the mask I'd tried so hard to put up.

After another hour, Natsume pulled me out onto the back porch. It was empty and only a few torches lit the place, illuminating the area wonderfully. Natsume leaned against the wooden railing and looked out at the ocean. I bit back tears as I watched his happy, smiling face. His raven locks swayed rebelliously in the breeze. He looked so... amazing. My heart wrenched in my chest as I looked away. I had to drag my eyes from him. Natsume seemed to notice my silence because he approached me and placed both his hand on my shoulders. He peered into my eyes in concern and I felt tears well up. I pushed them back and tried to smile, only to fail miserably. It was impossible to try to act happy when everything was so wrong.

"Mikan, what's wrong?" Natsume asked, gripping my arms. I winced as his grip fell on the sore spot Rina had caused earlier in the day.

"Natsume..." I murmured, caressing his cheek with my hand.

I couldn't help it. I broke down. Sobs racked my body once more as I collapsed to the wooden floor. Natsume was beside me in a flash, his arms wrapped around me and whispering soothing words in my ear. I could tell he was panicking. Desperately, I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, hoping I would never have to let go. Natsume hugged me back just as tightly and I relished the closeness. Pulling back slightly, he pressed his lips to mine. I responded eagerly and poured my whole being into that one kiss, not knowing if it would be the last kiss I would ever share with him. When we pulled away from each other, I gathered all my guts and ripped myself out of his arms. I flung the porch doors open and sprinted out of the place, completely ignoring everyone else at the long table we all sat at. I ran and ran until I couldn't breathe. I waded out into waist-deep water and just cried, only the moon with me as a companion. For the first time, I felt truly alone. I felt helpless.

Hours later, I dragged myself back to the sand and collapsed in a miserable heap on the damp sand. Exhausted and weary, I blacked out.

The next morning, I woke up feeling terrible. I felt blank. Emotionless. I headed back to my cabin and found two notes on my door. One from Hotaru and one from Natsume. Both looked like they were written hastily. I ripped them off and unlocked my door.

_Mikan, what the fuck happened? I was looking all over for you and couldn't find you anywhere! You better have a good explanation for running out on me! –N_

_ Mikan, I swear I will murder you for scaring me like that . Hyuuga better not have done something to you or I will rip his bloody throat out. If you don't tell me what happened, I will __**force**__ it out of you. And trust me, it will not be pleasant. –H_

For once, Hotaru's threats didn't scare the crap out of me. I crumpled up both notes and tossed them into the trash bin after scanning them quickly and picked out new clothes to change into. I would have to avoid everyone I knew today, except the key to my plan; Kira Akihiko. I knew it was wrong to use him but I needed to do this. Pulling on my royal blue peasant top and my white Bermuda shorts, I walked out the door. I took a back route to the filming and took my sweet time. Once I got to the tent, I caught sight of Kira and tried to call him.

"Psst! Kira! HEY!" I whisper-shouted, desperately trying to catch his attention.

Finally, he noticed me. An amused and concerned look crossed his face as he trotted over to where I stood behind a tree. "Hey Mikan. What are you doing?" he asked, raising a brow.

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to take a walk with me," I replied innocently.

Kira shrugged and ran back into the large tent and came out with his camera in his hands. I smiled and took his free arm as I linked mine through it. Kira blushed slightly but made no objection. We eventually took the path by the beach and we stopped every now and then to look at a shell or tale a picture of the waves. Everything was working out just as I planned. Finally, I sat down on the sand, drawing tiny pictures with my fingers. Kira sat beside me and watched me draw aimlessly.

"It's Rina isn't it?" he asked – no, stated – silently. I froze and my breathing hitched. Kira chuckled softly beside me and I could tell he was shaking his head.

"How did you figure it out?" I asked in monotone, my face devoid of emotion.

Kira shrugged and lifted his camera to his face and snapped another quick picture. He turned to me and put down the camera once more. "I could tell because she looked too happy this morning and now you're all depressed and shit."

I laughed sarcastically and let my eyes drift over the waves. "You have no idea."

"Let me guess, you need me to kiss you and have Natsume see so that he'll break up with you and make everything easier to bear?" Kira continued.

I groaned and let my head fall into my hands. "I'm so sorry, Kira. I don't want to use you like this. But I just-" My breath caught once again as I started crying. Kira patted my back comfortingly. "I can't hurt him anymore. I just... I love him."

Kira suddenly froze. "If you want to get it over with, here's your chance."

Comprehending what he was trying to tell me, I lifted my head and out of the corner of my eyes saw a head of messy hair stop walking. Kira's lips met mine and I peeked as Natsume clenched his jaw and turned to walk away, not sparing me a backward glance. It was over. Kira pulled away and I broke down once again, letting tears pour out uncontrollably.

I never noticed when I got back to my cottage but I remembered slamming the door and just slumping to the floor. I remembered fainting on my bed and not waking up until Hotaru slammed her fists on my door and demanded for someone to open the door. I was able to open it with the little strength I had and watched as her eyes widened at the sight of me and she immediately entered and pulled me into a tight hug. Whatever questions she had would be answered later. I didn't have the ability to answer in my condition. Hotaru stayed with me until I was completely calm and she had all my meals delivered to my room. No one was allowed to visit me. No one. Only her.

"What do I do Hotaru?" I mumbled, burying my face in my pillow.

Hotaru regarded me seriously and sighed. "You move on. And if he acts like nothing happened in the first place, you do the same."

The next day I was mentally, emotionally, and physically able to go to work. I acted like nothing was wrong and I interacted with people like I usually did. Kira gave me a sad smile and I noticed he was hiding a bruise on his face with concealer and foundation. The day went normally and Natsume never acknowledged me unless it was necessary for the film. Other than that, we were complete strangers.

Dinner time came fast and Rina knocked on my door before we left to join the others in the restaurant. She looked pleased and it sickened me to the core.

"Well done, Mikan-chan. My plan worked perfectly."

I held back a scream and I turned to her, wearing a perfectly calm mask. She was grinning at me and her hands were fiddling with the sheets on my bed. "I didn't believe you at first when you said you would make him break up with you... but I guess I was wrong." She smirked and looked out the large window. "Hm, I guess you had no other choice though."

"What else do you want from me, huh Rina?" I finally yelled. "Do you want my life? Go ahead! Take it! You practically sucked out my soul anyway! Do you need to make me suffer more?"

Rina looked thoroughly amused at my outburst as she patiently stood up and walked over to me. "Actually Mikan, there is only one more thing I want from you. I'm pretty sure this will be much easier to give up." She smirked at me. "After the filming, you will retire from acting. I can't have you stealing my roles."

I stared neutrally at her. First she took away the man I love, the next she was taking my dreams away from me. Could she do anything else to me?

"Fine," I bit out.

Rina smiled sweetly at me. "Good. I'll see you at the restaurant." She closed the door behind her and I half-expected to start bawling. But surprisingly, I remained calm. She _had_ drained me of my soul.

It had been two months. Two dreadfully long and painful months.

Natsume still avoided me. In fact, we hadn't spoken a single word to each other off-screen. Rina had him all to herself and apparently they were set to be married in six months or so. Perfect. As for me? Well, I was looking for a modeling agency that could give me a contract. A few letters had come in for me but I hadn't bothered to read them yet. Filming was done and the premier was later that evening.

"Mikan?"

I looked up from the white unopened envelope in front of me into the stoic face of my best friend Hotaru Imai. She and Ruka were a steady couple and were going strong.

"Hotaru," I greeted, putting on a smile. "Did you need anything?"

She frowned at me and sat down, nestling her coffee in her hands. "Are you sure you want to go to the premier tonight?" she asked. "It's not mandatory for you to go. As long as the other cast members are present you don't need to make an appearance."

I shook my head and smiled forlornly. "I want to go. At least just tonight."

Hotaru's eyes scanned my face until they flickered to the lone envelope I cradled in my hands. She scanned the address and name and her eyes widened before they flickered back up to me.

"Victoria's Secret? Mikan, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity," she said.

I sighed and nodded, a small smile playing on my lips. I ripped the envelope open and opened the letter, slightly nervous about what it said. My eyes scanned the paper and my mouth dropped open as a smile lit my features and I started squealing.

_Mikan Sakura, we would like to offer you a five year contract to become an official runway model for Victoria's Secret at a pay check of $ 30,000 per show. You are to fulfill the time in the U.S.A. if you agree. Please respond as soon as possible. Thank you._

Hotaru blinked once, twice, thrice, before grinning and pulling me into a tight hug, her stoicism faltering for a few minutes. I picked up the phone and immediately dialed the number provided in the letter.

_"Hello, Victoria's Secret main office. How may I help you?"_ a voice asked.

I cleared my throat and began to speak. "Yes, this is Mikan Sakura. I'd like to discuss the details of the contract please."

* * *

A/N: Oh man. MIKAN IS GOING TO THE U.S.A.! What's going to happen when everyone finds out? Will Natsume try to stop her or will Rina's influence be too powerful? What will happen during the long awaited movie premiere of 'Fallen and Falling' (yes, the name of the movie)?

OH MY GOSH. Not one of my best chapters. Darn it. The next one will be more exciting, though. ;) Trust me, this story is NOT boring. There is going to be an extreme twist, all right? SO brace yourselves! AND REVIEW. I NEED REVIEWS. I NEED TO KNOW YOUR OPINIONS. JUST NO FLAMING. Thank yous!

P.S. Sorry for the late update. :(


	10. Chapter 10

"Yes, this is Mikan Sakura. I'd like to discuss the details of the contract please."

Honestly, I was scared. My nerves were getting to me as the receptionist hooked me up to the call line of the head. I waited for a few seconds before a deep voice answered.

_"Hello?"_

"Ah yes, this is Mikan Sakura. I'd like to accept the contract your company has offered me," I answered fluently. I'd been taking up English lessons so I had the language known by heart. I was pretty good with communicating so the conversation was quick and straight to the point.

_"Ah, Miss Sakura. Yes, we've been expecting you. It's a pleasure to hear that you're accepting the offer. Have you encountered any difficulties with our negotiations?" _the voice asked.

I swallowed. "No sir. I don't have any problems with the contract at all. I'd just like to know when I'll be leaving Japan since you mentioned in the contract that in case I accept, I have my first photo shoot scheduled on Monday. Today is Sunday."

_"Ah yes. Well, we were hoping that, according to the plans, you could leave Japan _tonight._"_

My breath hitched in my throat. So soon? I nearly hung up then and there but my future and my career flashed before my eyes. It was too good an opportunity to pass up.

"All right. What time is my flight, sir?"

_"Well, you leave at 2:00 in the morning for New York. You only need to bring a small suitcase since you will return to Japan secretly and gather the rest of your belongings at a later date. No one needs to know of your departure from Japan after filming that new movie of yours. The paparazzi will go crazy."_

"I completely understand. I'll be ready to leave at the given time. Thank you very much."

_"Yes, it's a pleasure doing business with you. I will see you very soon Miss Sakura." _

I hung up and turned around to face Hotaru. Her expression was blank but her eyes clearly showed sadness. I smiled sadly and shrugged.

"I'm leaving tonight."

"Mm."

"I'll miss you."

"Hn."

I couldn't help it. I hugged her. I heard her crying silently and I tightened my hold on her. "I'm sorry it's so soon Hotaru. I wish I could stay longer."

Hotaru pulled back and wiped away the tears on her cheeks. "Baka. I'm not depressed that you're leaving. I'm just proud that an idiot like you is achieving her dreams. I'm going with you. And no, you can't change my mind."

I gasped and then squealed loudly as I hugged my best friend again. We smiled at each other before I ran to my room and pulled my suitcase out from the top shelf of my cabinet. I packed all my best clothes and some of my shoes and rushed around the place like a bee, stuffing everything I needed into my bag. I couldn't help being excited.

_Brring._

I jumped at the sound of my cell phone and rushed to where I'd thrown it on the bed. I checked the caller ID and saw Kira's name flashing in neon green.

"Kira! What's up?" I answered breathlessly.

Kira chuckled on his end of the line. _"Hi Mikan-chan. I was wondering if you were going to the premiere tonight. I was invited and I don't have a date."_

I paused and bit on my lower lip. The premier had completely slipped my mind. I didn't even have a freaking dress for crying out loud! But I didn't want to let Kira down so I scrambled to my closet and flung it open to look for a dress I hadn't worn yet.

"Hm, yes. I could go with you tonight." I answered, grinning broadly at seeing the most gorgeous dress.

_"Great! I'll pick you up at 6:30 then! See you later!"_

I hung up and flopped onto my bed, still holding the dress in my hands. It was perfect. And I was going to wear it to the premiere. I couldn't wait for Kira to see me in it. I was sure that he was going to love it. Sighing in contentment, I hung it behind my door and scanned my shoes for the perfect pair. Not long after, my eyes settled on an unopened black shoe box shoved in the back of my closet. I didn't remember putting it there so I curiously pulled it out of its spot. How had I never noticed it before? I lifted the lid and gasped at what was inside. It was the perfect pair. And in my size! The day was just too good!

* * *

"Mikan! Akihiko's here now. Go." Hotaru yelled from the front room.

In my room, I finished brushing a little bronzer over my T-Section and I grabbed my silver Prada clutch off where it lay on my bed. I was ready.

I stepped out of my room and into the living room. My eyes immediately landed on Kaji. He looked dashing in his grey Armani suit. It also complimented his hair and his eye colour. I smiled and linked my arm through his from behind. When his eyes landed on me, they promptly widened and his jaw went slack. He stepped back to get the full view.

"Wow. Mikan. That. You look... incredible."

I smiled and took his arm once again. "Let's go. I want to see your brother and thank him for letting me be in his movie as the leading actress."

Kira grinned back and soon enough we were pulling up to the front of a large premier house. A valet rushed forward and Kira handed him the car keys and a tip. He took my hand in his and we both walked out onto the red carpet together. Almost immediately, all eyes were on us.

"Sakura! Sakura! What's it like being a new star? Is Kira Akihiko your boyfriend? Are you two dating?"

I blocked out the questions and flashed smiles at my co-stars and my few friends present at the premiere. My eyes fell on Natsume and Rina, the star couple, posing for the cameras. My eyes found Natsume, wearing his usual messy black tuxedo. He had his arm slung around Rina's waist and her arms were snaked around his neck as she tiptoed and pressed a kiss to his cheek. I wrinkled my nose in disgust and moved on. I noticed Luna wearing a beautiful sky blue dress streaked with white and a pair of white heels. She looked sophisticated and elegant. Rina on the other hand, looked like a hooker in her uber-short purple body con dress. Her heels were hooker high and her pin-straight hair looked... dead. Lifeless. Luna looked like an angel next to her.

"Ah, Sakura-san!" Luna exclaimed, noticing me. A smile flashed on her lips.

I raised an eyebrow. She usually acted like she detested me but here she was acting like we were close friends. I smiled back at her though and waved.

"Hi Koizumi-san," I greeted.

Luna actually looked extremely friendly. In fact, I had a feeling she wasn't so bad. She took both my hands in hers and let out a girlish squeal. Kira's eyebrows raised as well at her unusual behavior.

"Call me Luna, Mikan-chan. Akihiko-kun, could I borrow her for a few minutes?"

I found myself in a restroom inside the premier house. Luna sighed in relief as she shut the door behind her and leaned back on it. I rested my back against one of the sinks and watched as she walked over to one of the mirrors and fixed her hair. When she was done, she let out a huff and turned to me.

"Mikan-chan, I brought you here to apologize."

My eyes widened and I nearly gaped but I controlled my expression. "Apologize? Luna, what are you talking about?"

"Mikan, you know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm apologizing for everything bad I've ever done to you. After getting married, I realized so much about how stupid I was when I was younger. I wanted to change. I never really got a chance to talk to you during filming so I'm _so_ sorry."

I smiled gently at her when I noticed that she was on the verge of crying. "I forgive you, Luna."

Luna looked up at me in shock and grinned. "Really?" I nodded. "Are you serious?" I was grinning by then. "Oh my God! I love you so much!"

I laughed as she hugged me and I hugged her back. After pulling away, she sniffed and then an awkward expression crossed her face. Her eyes flickered back to mine, confused. "Mikan, what happened to you and Natsume? One minute you two are the IT couple and the next you two are... fighting."

My expression was dark and I looked away. "Ask Rina."

Luna's face darkened, too. "That bitch. I hate her like I hate Adolf Hitler. No, I hate her more. I haven't even met Adolf Hitler. Her personality is spoiled and rotten. Not to mention she looks like a slut."

I snorted. "Join the club." I crossed my arms over my chest and sucked in a sharp breath.

Luna let out a soft giggle and took my hand in hers. "Forget it. She's nothing but a bitch. If Natsume ditched you for her, then he's brainless. Besides," she added with an evil gleam in her eyes. "Kira Akihiko looks like he's got the hots for you."

I flushed pink and looked away. "No, he doesn't. We're just friends." I denied, but the look on my face sold me out and Luna laughed out loud.

"Okay then. By the way, you look gorgeous."

We exchanged compliments and we were both laughing as we returned to the premier house. I saw Kira leaning against the adjacent wall talking to his brother. I smiled and made my way over to the two and felt my heart flutter when I saw Kira's eyes light up upon seeing me.

"Mikan! We were just talking about you."

Takumi took my hand and placed a gentle kiss on it. "Mademoiselle, I must say that you look absolutely splendid tonight."

I laughed and pulled my hand away gently, finding Kira's hand and taking it in mine. He was warm and I moved closer to him to gather some heat. Tokyo's evening air was cool and I was starting to get the chills in my little dress.

"Shall we?" Kira asked, pushing open the door to the cinema complex.

The actors and actresses who played in the movie were assigned to sit in the first row and I found that I was seated beside Rina and Natsume. I grimaced as I slid into the cushioned chair and relaxed against the back. Rina completely ignored me and Natsume was having fun playing tonsil hockey with her. I ignored both of them and focused my attention on Kira who was rubbing circles into my palm. I smiled and shuffled closer to him. He gladly draped his arm around my shoulder.

I felt comfortable when I was close to him and I felt like my feelings towards him were developing steadily. He'd always been there for me and I owed him a lot. Maybe dating him would be good?

_"Ladies and gentlemen, please switch off all mobile phones and cameras and enjoy the film."_

The movie rolled and I sunk further into my chair, relishing the closeness I had with Kira. Before the lights dimmed, Natsume and I made eye contact. His eyes flashed with... anger? What the hell? I kept my face blank and unfeeling as I looked back and then focused my attention on the wide screen again.

* * *

"That was amazing!"

I grinned and hugged Takumi who was beaming with pride at his successful production. Fellow directors and renowned stars were congratulating him and acknowledging the people who played in the movie.

The crowd slowly diminished as some left for home and others moved to the ballroom on the upper floor for the after party. Kira led me to the elevators after everyone had left so we wouldn't have to push through the crowd. The music could already be heard and I was sure that the party was going at full swing. After presenting our invitations at the entrance to the ballroom, I made my way to Luna.

"You were amazing Luna!" I squealed. Luna did a great job at playing the antagonist's best friend in the movie. I had to admit that I was impressed.

Luna squealed and jumped girlishly. "I know, right? A talent scout just approached me and wants me to be the face for their make-up company! Can you believe Covergirl wants to employ me?" She started gushing about the bonuses and the discounts she would get and I listened.

"Have you been scouted?" she finally asked.

I smiled and moved closer to whisper in her ear. "Truth is, Victoria's Secret wants me to model for them so I'm leaving for New York at 2:00 am in the morning."

The initial shock took over her features before she started squealing again. "Oh my God, that's wonderful! I'm leaving for New York tomorrow afternoon! We could totally live together!" Okay, then _I_ was shocked. "OMG! Does anyone else know?"

I shook my head. "No. Only you and Hotaru know."

Luna's face fell and her shoulders slumped. "So, you're telling me that Natsume doesn't know about this? He doesn't know that you're leaving?"

I shook my head again.

"You should tell him," was all Luna said before leaving me to talk to another co-star.

Depressed and confused, I picked my way through the crowd and found Kira again. He smiled when he saw me and I tried desperately to smile back but I just couldn't. His smile disappeared and he took my hand in his in a consoling manner and gently pulled me out of the ballroom.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, concern dominating his features.

I shook my head and let it fall as thoughts ran through my mind. "Should I tell everyone? Should I tell _him_? Even after everything that's happened between us?" I mumbled to myself.

Kira sighed and shoved his hands into the pockets of his dress pants. "Mikan, no one is forcing you to tell anyone anything. And besides, what are you talking about?" I'd forgotten that I hadn't told him a thing about me leaving. Shoot. But I told him anyway.

"I'm leaving for New York, Kira. I don't think I'm coming back."

At first Kira's face was of pure shock... and then it went blank. Expressionless. Neutral. I bit the inside of my cheek to avoid saying something that would only make things worse.

"I'm coming with you."

For the second time that night, I was shocked speechless. First it was Luna and then Kira? "W-what are you talking about?" I exclaimed. "You can't just leave Japan and come with me to Paris as if it's nothing! You're leaving everyone you love behind!"

Kira's russet eyes bore into mine. "Not everyone."

I pressed my lips together as a blush colored my cheeks pink. He was so open about his love for me that it was embarrassing in awkward situations.

I sighed, knowing that I was fighting a losing battle. "Are you sure about this?" I asked.

Kira nodded. "I'm absolutely sure. If you leave, I'm going with you." He grinned and flashed me a wink. "Besides, there's got to be hotter girls in the USA." He laughed outright and I joined in as well. When we finally stopped, he smiled gently at me and pulled me into a friendly hug. "Just to let you know, I do still love you and I want to be there to support you, no matter what."

Tears filled my eyes but refused to leak out from the corners. I smiled back. "Thank you."

Kira's eyes showed affection once more as he gently tugged me back. "Come on. I'm betting the others are wondering where we went."

I obliged and followed him. He was holding my hand firmly in his and I liked how he seemed so protective of me. He led me into the ballroom and Luna immediately rushed to my side, a huge smirk on her face. I arched a brow and she pressed a finger to her lips before snatching me from Kira's grasp and leading me to the corner of the grand room.

"What are you doing?" I hissed.

Luna smirked again and shrugged. "I want to let you in on some deets. You willing to listen?" Her excited eyes made me curious so I nodded, pressing for her to continue.

"I have a video of when Rina threatened you on the beach. From start to finish. The whole five heart-breaking minutes. Including when you screamed."

My jaw dropped and my eyes widened as my knees gave out. I desperately caught hold of a nearby stool to keep myself upright as my awed stare was directed in Luna's direction. She helped me up and calmed me down as she settled me down at the bar.

"How?" I finally sputtered, slamming my glass down on the marble counter.

Luna grimaced and looked away. "Well, I intended to apologize earlier since we started working on the film together but we never really spoke." Her gaze shifted to an empty space and stayed there. "I followed you, hoping I could apologize, and noticed Rina following you, too. Curious, I kept my eyes on her and decided to film everything to make sure I had proof if she did anything stupid." Once again, her gaze locked with mine. "It's a good thing, too. I knew exactly what you were going to do. My heart shattered seeing you so depressed."

I slumped back into my seat and took a small sip of my water. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? Why didn't you tell me so I could fix everything?"

Luna's eyes reflected guilt and slight anxiety. Not anxious-nervous. More like, anxious excited. "Well, I had a good reason," she said in defense. "I'm sure you'll find out what it is soon enough. But for now, I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave you in the dark."

After a few more minutes of senseless chatter, I stood and made my way back to Kira. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder when I reached him. "What happened? You seem... I don't know."

I shrugged and for the first time that night – no, for the first time in two months - a bright and sincere smile lit up my face. I practically beamed at him. Through all the depression, I had a ray of hope. And who knew that it would come in the form of Luna Koizumi? Whatever her reason was, I was excited to find out what it was.

Only an hour had passed when I felt the need to make an excuse to leave the room. The ambience was somewhat suffocating.

"Kira? I'm going to go to the comfort room really quick and take a breather."

Kira nodded and released me with a smile. I left the room and pushed open the doors to the ladies room. It smelled of pine and... peppermint, was it? I walked up to the large mirror in front of the sinks and examined my face. It was a surprise to see how vibrant I'd become. My eyes didn't seem as dull as they were before and my lips were able to curve up into their usual smile.

_Click. Bang._

I jolted and noticed one of the guests walking out of a stall. She smiled briefly at me and rinsed her hands before departing quickly.

I looked back at my reflection and decided that I was in serious need of a touch-up. I dabbed a little bit of concealer under my eyes again and applied another coat of lip gloss. Perfect. I snapped my clutch closed and headed for the doors. Once I was outside, I heard a film rolling. My brow furrowed when I made out gasps and incredulous expressions on the guests' faces. Another thing that spiked my curiosity was the sympathetic looks they gave me when they noticed me approaching.

"Sakura?" I spun around at the mention of my name and saw a young lady I didn't know shaking her head sadly. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that. That was horrible."

My eyes widened as I spun around again and sprinted towards the doors of the ballroom, not paying any attention to the fact that I could break my ankle running in heels so high that it was difficult to walk fast, much less run fact.

And then I saw the most horrible sight.

"No..." I whispered to myself.

It was Rina. And Natsume.

Luna noticed me and my expression must have set her into motion. She ran to me and restrained me as I began to struggle. "No!" I screamed.

Rina was on the floor, desperately scrambling away from Natsume. If I thought that was horrible, Natsume was the Grim Ripper. The look in his eyes spelled out pure hatred and murder. He was screaming threats and cussing violently, thrashing against Ruka, Etou and Kira's firm grip on him. They were restraining him. I noticed that immediately.

The blood drained out of my face as I looked up at the wide screen and saw the video of Rina attacking me. My mind went blank as I heard the bloodcurdling scream erupt from my mouth.

Many people had backed away from us and some were trying to help calm Natsume down. A few others were desperately trying to get some reaction out of me, even a brief eye movement. But I couldn't do anything. I had shut down.

Finally, Luna must have had enough. She slapped me. Hard.

"What the hell are you doing?" she screamed. "Get Natsume and calm the mother f*cker down!"

I snapped out of my trance and sent her a small thankful smile before getting back on my feet and running to Natsume. He was still yelling and didn't notice me as I approached and swiftly flung my arms around him, successfully knocking both of us to the ground.

"What the hell do you think you-?" He stopped when he noticed that it was me.

My arms were still locked around his neck as I looked at him with tears streaming down my face. "Stop." I choked out.

"Mikan!" Kira and Etou exclaimed simultaneously. Both rushed to me and pulled me off Natsume. I didn't do anything to fight back and they led me out of the ballroom before Natsume could say another word. For that, I was thankful.

After making sure I was okay, Etou sprinted back to the ballroom to find Aoi. Kira stayed with me and wrapped his jacket around me.

"Are you okay?" he asked, rubbing my arm as a father would his daughter.

I smiled and wiped the tears away. I pulled the jacket tighter around me and nodded. I was fine. It had gone better than it would have had I been in a bad mood. Before I knew it, words were tumbling out of my mouth. "I want to leave. Now."

Kira's smile was understanding and he helped me to my feet. "Give me a minute."

He disappeared to somewhere and I sighed as I looked up at the sky. The moon was beautiful and brought some peace to my distraught mind. Footsteps behind me indicated that Kira was back.

"Shall we then?" Kira asked.

I turned around and nearly gaped when I saw what his ride was. A motorcycle. Not just any other motorcycle. It was the type professionals used in high speed races. The type that should only be allowed on race tracks and not on the road because they were too fast.

"We're riding this?" I asked, excitement suddenly gripping my heart. I had never ridden on a motorcycle and it seemed so thrilling.

"Are you getting on?" Kira grinned, revving it to life.

Without a word, I pulled the pins out of my hair and let it fall freely. I swung myself onto the bike with ease and saw Kira's huge smile plastered on his face. He handed me a helmet and I strapped it on. He put his on as well and started moving.

"You know, seeing how you get on a bike, one would think you're an expert."

I laughed and said nothing more as he turned onto the highway heading to my house. I wrapped my arms around his waist as he sped up and let myself feel the cool breeze as we sped down the lanes. It only took him ten minutes to get to my building.

"So, what happened to your Murcielago?" I asked, handing Kira my helmet.

The small rebellious spark in his eyes lit up and I smiled at the familiarity of it. "I actually drove my bike to the premiere house before I went to pick you up in my car. It's more fun riding my bike."

I pouted and my hands found their place on my hips. "Why didn't you take it to pick me up?"

Kira grinned and ran a hand through his wind-blown hair. "Well, normally, girls don't like getting their hair messed up. And usually they're too scared to get on this monster. That only makes it more appealing." He turned to me, a boyish smile on his face. "You're the first person who's ever ridden this aside from me."

My heart swelled and I stood on my toes to press a kiss to his cheek. It was short and swift but delivered the desired message.

Kira was shocked, but pleased as well. That is, until he saw the time.

"Damn it. It's twelve. I have to pack." He turned to me and let his fingertips brush lightly across my cheek. "I'm going to get my stuff together and then come back at 1:00 to pick you up so we can head to the airport. I'll see you later." He pressed a kiss to my forehead and drove off.

I sighed to myself and walked up to my pad. I flicked on all the lights and made myself a quick cup of coffee to help myself stay awake. All my stuff was packed.

"Bye bye, Tokyo." I muttered.

I washed all the make-up off my face and pulled my hair into a ponytail. My dress was replaced with a pair of black jeans, a white tank top, and my black leather jacket. My outfit was promptly packed and I pulled on my white Converse before Kira arrived.

There was a knock at my door five minutes later and I hauled my suitcases outside where Kira took them and carried them down easily. I noticed that his Murcielago was back. His own suitcase was in the trunk and he had a black backpack as a carry-on. I noticed that he was only wearing a grey t-shirt, faded jeans, and a black ribbed jacket with sneakers. For that I was glad.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked, peering into my eyes.

I nodded and smiled despite the sadness knowing that I was leaving. I would miss Tokyo and all my friends. But nonetheless, I was ready to face the new challenge.

We arrived at the airport forty-five minutes before our flight was set to depart. Kira had asked Takumi to reserve a ticket for him on the same flight as me and a guard at the gate delivered it to him as we had our passports processed. Luckily, there weren't too many people on our flight.

We stopped by a cafe and got some coffee while we waited for boarding time. "Are you okay?" Kira asked me.

I glanced up from my cappuccino and frowned at him. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Kira shrugged and smiled sheepishly, warming his hands on his mug. "I don't know. You just seem so thoughtful that I had a feeling you were on the verge of crying." He stopped smiling. "But I have a feeling something bad is going to happen."

I held his hand and smiled warmly at him. "Nothing bad is going to happen. Trust me."

He smiled back after brief hesitation and I leaned back in my chair. Only a few minutes later our flight was called to the terminal. We shared a brief glance and then rose at the same time. I watched him grab his backpack fluidly and turn to me, holding out his hand with a slight smile. I took it and slung my bag on my shoulder as we walked towards the terminal gate together.

And then I stopped. Standing there was Hotaru, Ruka, Luna, Etou, Aoi and Takumi. Ruka waved when he saw us and I couldn't help but run over to them.

"Guys! You came!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms around Etou's neck. He _was_ the nearest.

They all smiled and hugged me and I swear I suffocated. Kira laughed at my expression until I glared and pulled him into the hug too. His face went purple from lack of air. I laughed at him when I was able to breathe. He sent me a glare as well.

"Guys, I appreciate the affection, but I'm suffocating here." I choked out.

Everyone released me and said their goodbyes. Ruka gave me a half-hug before turning back to Hotaru and wrapping his arm around her waist. I smiled, knowing they would be together for a while. Aoi shed tears as she hugged me and wished me the best. Etou gave me a kiss on the cheek and patted the top of my head in a brotherly manner. Luna smiled brightly at me and hugged me. "I'll see you tomorrow," she whispered in my ear. Hotaru was last. Her eyes were puffy as she pulled out her baka gun. She looked like she was trying extremely hard to pull the trigger but couldn't bring herself to. Finally, she flung the gun to the side and pulled me into a vice-like hug. "I'll miss you."

I said my final goodbyes and linked my arm through Kira's as we walked through the gate. I was feeling better now that I knew that I was leaving with the last memories of my friends with me.

"_Mikan!_" a voice yelled.

I stopped and my body went cold. I turned robotically and saw Natsume running towards the gate as the doors slowly slid closed. They shut before he could reach me and I saw him yelling as Ruka and Etou pulled him back in an attempt to keep him from kicking the doors down.

A tear slid down my cheek as I gave him one last smile before turning and walking towards my future.

* * *

A/N: Finally I have updated! It's extra specially long so I hope you enjoy it! ;) I'll have pictures of Mikan and the other's dresses posted on my author profile later. :D REVIEW REVIEW! PLEASE. I swear I need those reviews. REEEEVIEEEW!


	11. Chapter 11

The heels of my boots were staccato against the black tarmac, forming a pattern of clicks and scuffles. I paid no heed to this, though. My thoughts were elsewhere.

Once again, my eyes were roaming the perfect face of the devil, Natsume Hyuuga. It had shocked me when I turned the corner on Broadway and saw his billboard, large and looming in a menacing way over the passers-by. His ruby eyes bore into mine although I knew that they were nothing compared to the real thing. The buttons of his crisp silk button-up were left open, showing a lean body. His hair was messy, almost wind-blown, as he stared at the camera. It was almost like he was daring me to jump on him and kiss him senseless. And, once again, I was rudely awakened from my thoughts.

"Mikan, I've been standing here talking to you for nearly five minutes. Have you heard a single word I said?" my co-worker exclaimed, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

I smiled sheepishly at the beautiful blonde. Her brown eyes were warm and glittered slightly whenever she smiled. "Sorry Carmen. I got carried away again." My eyes automatically drifted to the alluring billboard before I dragged them away again.

Carmen sighed and linked her arm through mine. "I know, I know. Still not over him?" I frowned at her, not understanding what she was implying. Carmen's lips twitched into an impish smile. "It's obvious that something went on between you and lover boy up there. Every day I catch you standing on the sidewalk, just looking up at him. So spill! Did he break your heart or was it the other way around?"

I let out a small sigh and shook my head. "There was nothing between us. He's just a friend."

Carmen shot me a look that said that she didn't believe me. I faked innocence and she rolled her eyes, immediately dropping the subject.

The short walk to the Main Building was cheerful as Carmen recounted her date with an Italian supermodel the previous weekend. I nodded and faked enthusiasm whenever she mentioned something that I needed to squeal about. I knew enough about girlish ways to know that they needed it.

I frowned again when I realized that the old Mikan would have been genuinely interested and would have asked further questions about the guy and the place he took her to. I mentally cringed at the thought of becoming a b*tch. There was just no way I was going down that path. I made up my mind and launched myself into a conversation with her about the said model and she continued, her eyes glittering once more and a bounce forming in her step. I inwardly sighed. It was so easy to make Carmen happy.

We rode the elevator up to the sixteenth floor and stepped off, coming face to face with our boss. Henry James was a generally friendly man. He was old but still had the same charm as when he was younger. Not to mention, his long lasting good looks meant he would still be changing girlfriends every week or so.

"Good morning, ladies," Henry greeted, a warm smile growing on his lips.

"Good morning, Henry!" Carmen and I exclaimed in unison. We grinned and moved away to let him pass as we made our way to the changing rooms. We had another photo shoot.

"So," Carmen started as we sat patiently in our leather chairs, having our hair styled. "How many boyfriends have you had already? I mean, it's obvious that you have had at least _one_. It's impossible that you'd still be... uh, inexperienced."

I laughed. "I've had two boyfriends."

Carmen gaped and made a clucking noise at the back of her throat. "You have got to be kidding me. How long did these relationships last?"

I blushed and turned my eyes away from her intense gaze.

"The first lasted years and the second lasted... two days." Carefully, I slid my eyes over to Carmen, cautious and wary of what reaction she would have to my confession.

Surprisingly, her overall demeanour was calm. "Hm, I've had boyfriends that only lasted hours. That's pretty good Mikan. I mean, these guys come along and after one date, they're out the door and dating other women. Aren't I satisfying enough?" Carmen snarled. "_Damn bastards_..." she muttered under her breath.

I laughed outright and the stylist had to slap the back of my neck to keep me from moving so she could pull my hair into a stylish French twist. Carmen giggled at my pouting face and flicked her hand at me as a way of saying, 'Later'. Hair and make-up was peaceful before we were hurriedly rushed into wardrobe. We pulled on the skimpy lingerie they threw at us and shrugged on the sheer cover-ups – if you could even call them that – before rushing out to the set. The photographer was setting up his camera while assistants rushed over and adjusted lighting and reflectors for better angles. Alicia Keys played in the background as they turned on fans to add a dramatic effect.

"All right girls, we need to look like we're having the best of fun!" the photographer said.

Carmen and I immediately reacted to his orders. We pressed our palms together and lifted the same foot up in the air, toes pointed upwards, balancing all our weight on one leg. We fixed happy grins on our faces as the camera snapped our photos. Our poses constantly changed, our facial expressions ranging from happy to hyper to energetic to plain crazy.

After the photo shoot, the photographer handed us his card, a pleased look on his face. "You girls have to call me up sometime. You're amazing on film."

I noticed Carmen watching him with a hungry glint in her eyes as he walked away. I nudged her with my elbow and smirked. "Don't tell me you're going to make him one of your targets. He just offered us a chance to get more money. Don't screw this up."

Carmen pouted and flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder in a playful manner. "I never intended to."

* * *

Kira was waiting for me in the Visitor's Lounge after the photo shoot. Carmen was going to stay behind to file some 'paperwork', although I was pretty sure she only turned down my lunch offer because she wanted to chat with the cute photographer. I didn't mention this, though.

"How was your day?" Kira asked, standing to meet me when he saw me exit the set.

I let out a dramatic sigh and put my hand to my forehead. "Exhausting! Posing for cameras can really wear you out, huh?"

Kira laughed at me response and took my hand in his, his smile growing as I flushed pink. I still wasn't used to the intimacy between us and I had to admit that I liked it. Kira was always the perfect gentleman, although I could honestly admit that I had a thing for rebels. As that flickered through my mind, a pair of crimson eyes flashed in my memory and I held back a gasp, not wanting Kira to know that I had been thinking of _him_. He always distanced himself whenever he found out. I hated that. I wasn't a little girl, for crying out loud! I'm not so fragile that mentioning his name would cause me an emotional breakdown!

Natsume! Natsume! Natsume!

See? Is that name doing anything to me? OH NO. I blinked rapidly when I realized that tears had filled my eyes and were threatening to spill.

"So," I started, gaining control of my emotions. "Where do we go for lunch today? Since we're obviously not going to eat at home."

Kira laughed again and led me through the automatic doors. I pulled my trench coat tighter around me as a gust of chilly autumn wind hit us full on. Kira led me through the quickly thinning crowd of people, his gloved hand providing my bare ones some warmth. To anyone else we probably looked like a young couple who were getting used to being on their own. To close friends we would look like two people trying to proved comfort for the other.

We were walking down an unfamiliar street when I saw it, just as large and eye catching as the other one. Natsume Hyuuga was, once again, featured on a huge billboard. When would I ever get away from him? He looked just as gorgeous in this one. But what unnerved me was the sight of that- that _thing_ posing beside him! Rina was gracefully draped over his lap, her over-exposed cleavage in his face. Her maid costume was both slutty and over-the-top while Natsume was the picture of elegance in his slightly messy tuxedo and his slicked back hair. His eyes looked brighter than ever and ensnared any passer-by in its hypnotic beauty. Rina looked plain next to him, as I would, too, if I was posing with him for the ad.

"Kira," I started, pulling on his hand. "I thought Natsume filed a restraining order on Rina."

It was true. Only days after I'd arrived in NYC, Kira had received news from Ruka that Natsume had filed a court-approved restraining order on Rina Kobayashi, banning her from being within two metres of him. So how the hell did she end up on his lap for the photo?

Not that I was jealous or anything.

I made out a look of anxiety on Kira's face and I halted, refusing to move a single step until he told me what had happened back in Japan.

"Natsume should be telling you this," Kira began to say, but a sharp look from me cut him off. "But I'll tell you anyway." He hesitated a moment before continuing. "Natsume is starting his own line of worldwide fashion branches for men. He's basing their headquarters here in New York, Milan, Paris, Tokyo, and London. The main branch will be right in the heart of NYC. There's a big chance that you'll run into him here. It just so happens that Rina won 'Newbie of the Year' and was chosen as their cover model."

I felt at that moment that my world both shattered and rebuilt itself... I would see him again. I would have the chance to tell him everything. I could explain everything...

And then I was angry. And touched.

Natsume was moving the Headquarters of his new Fashion Line to NYC on purpose, just so he could be near me. Some part of me was disagreeing heartily, while a majority of my thoughts were focused on rejoicing at our reunion. I had somehow accepted before I moved that no matter where I went, he would be able to find me. It was inevitable. Another part of me convinced myself that it was the work of fate.

Nevertheless, if Natsume wanted to see me, see me he would.

* * *

I stormed into Henry's office the next day in a livid rage. I swear you could probably see the smoke coming from my ears. It was pretty funny actually.

"Henry!" I shrieked. "What is the meaning of _this_?" I held up a letter of release and felt the anger come back. Tears filled my eyes at the thought of being fired during my second month? Was I that bad at modeling? I mean, I'd done it before! "You can't fire me Henry! You said that the contract was for _two years_! Not months!"

Henry barely even glanced at me. His eyes were glued to the screen in front of him as he furiously typed on his keyboard. At the rate he was going, I was surprised it didn't break. Before I could even speak, he held up a hand to silence me, his eyes narrowed dangerously at the words on the document he was reading. Sighing, he motioned for me to sit down across from him.

Cautiously, I slid into the chair he'd pointed to. Out of habit, I smoothed down the non-existent wrinkles forming on my stylish grey pencil skirt.

"Mikan," Henry began. "Understand that I am _not_ letting you go because I dislike the work you do. Trust me, you take amazing photos and you're excellent on the catwalk. But," he paused and looked up at me through surprisingly bloodshot eyes. "Natsume Hyuuga has asked for my permission to recruit you. He claims witness to your experience and ability in the industry and is offering me a partnership deal." He studied my expression carefully before continuing. "_If_ I let him recruit you, he gives the main office ten percent of their annual profit, and you get seventeen percent more income."

My jaw dropped. Seventeen percent. The salary I was getting at VS was already whoppingly high. But this? Oh God, yes!

Henry studied me with a mischievous smirk. "So will you accept the offer?"

I feigned a nonchalant look and shrugged. "If it benefits you and all the other VS models, I accept. But I have one condition." I grinned smugly. "I still do photo shoots and runway sessions for you. And I still get paid for all of it."

Henry laughed outright. "Cunning, clever model you are, huh Sakura?"

I was dismissed after signing a thirteen page long agreement on my behalf. I practically _skipped_ out of the office. Carmen met me at me reserved dressing room and grinned, her eyes even brighter than usual. She was still in her assigned photo shoot clothing.

"So, lover boy recruited you, eh?"

I shrugged and started moving around the room, carefully placing all my clothes and shoes in a large box reserved just for the purpose of transferring. Carmen picked up a picture of me at Gakuen Alice, a happy smile fixed on my face and stoic Hotaru at my side, just the tiniest ghost of a smile on her lips. I'd always loved the picture because Natsume and Ruka had agreed to be in the picture as well, although Natsume just had to go and piss me off before finally agreeing. I'd kept it with me ever since.

Carmen lent me a helping hand and even called me a cab. Henry met me out front and smiled, waving as my taxi drove off. There was no need for goodbye's, since I wasn't officially leaving the company.

Hyuuga Fashion and Co. was located at their own private building in the heart of New York's business district. It was an impressive building, despite how insanely quick it was put up. There were already crazy ads and posters around the street. Natsume sure knew how to do business.

"I assume you're Ms. Sakura?" A stout, middle-aged man with a heavy French accent approached me, his wig in peril of flying off with the strengthening winds. He wore a silk Armani suit and well-polished dress shoes, the polite smile on his lips barely noticeable under his thick moustache. I took the hand he offered me with grace and he bent to press a single, friendly kiss on the back of mine. "I'm Horace Desave. Mr. Hyuuga has been expecting you. He has instructed me to send you directly to his office upon your arrival."

I nodded and smiled. "I understand, but is there any chance that I could stop by my reserved office so I can drop off this box? It is quite heavy."

Horace clucked his tongue and waved an assistant over. "Take these boxes to 692, ASAP."

I made no more objections as he led me into the building at an unusually swift pace, barely giving me enough time to examine my surroundings. All of a sudden, my anxiety and excitement at seeing Natsume again rose up from my stomach and constricted my throat. I couldn't breathe, just thinking of how furious he would be at seeing me again. _Me_, who's cheated on him after swearing that I loved him and only him, and later abandoned him after he discovered the truth. I had been horrible to him, and he deserved to be horrible to me. I could only imagine how much restraint it took him to run after me and wrap his fingers around my throat, slowly throttling me as Kira watched helplessly. No, Kira would probably be happy. I'd used him. I'd toyed with his emotions after he'd made it so clear that he was infatuated with me. Sweet, caring Kira. I was stupid and irrational, and working for Natsume would probably have been the only chance I had left to make things right. Though I could only hope that he would listen to me.

"Ms. Sakura, you may step in now."

In my deluded daze, I hadn't even noticed that I'd just been standing in front of the oak double doors of Natsume's office without a word, my eyes completely vacant. Horace hovered at my side, concern lingering over his features.

Before he could speak, I gave him a reassuring smile. "Thank you, Mr. Desave."

My hand wrapped around the cool silver knob, slowly twisting it. I pushed the door open, bracing myself for an enraged Natsume... But nothing came.

I entered his office cautiously, my eyes searching for him. He'd furnished his office well and it was quite spacious. To my left, the wall was made of glass, composing a huge window that looked down on the streets of the city. The walls were painted black, and red couches were strategically positioned in what looked to be a waiting area slash library. Dark walnut desks and cabinets lined the room and right at the end was his desk, and behind it was him.

Natsume looked as good as ever, his raven locks still as messy as ever. His eyes, I observed, had lost their brightness and looked almost dull, although I swear I saw a little of that brightness flicker when he saw me standing before him. He rose from his chair, extending to his full height and towering over me by inches.

"Mikan," he breathed, a sudden look of pure happiness filling his features.

I was astonished as he literally _leaped_ over his desk and enveloped me in a tight embrace. But then his sweet, familiar scent washed over me and the exhilaration at being in his arms once more hit me full on and my arms wrapped around his torso just as tightly. He may not have loved me as much as he once did, but my love for him had never weakened once. In fact, I was convinced that it grew stronger.

When he pulled away, he gently cradled my face in his hands, the brightness of his eyes fully restored. I realized then that _I_ had brought it back, and that made my heart pound faster.

"Mikan," he repeated. "Never _ever_ leave me again. Not like that."

And then he kissed me like he'd never kissed me before. It was sweet, passionate, and overflowing with love all at the same time. I had never been kissed like that, and it felt wonderful. At that moment, I knew that there was only one person I could love with all my heart for the rest of my existence. And he was standing before me, beautiful crimson eyes staring down at me with such affection that it was hard to miss. It was so familiar, just like how he'd looked at me when we were two lovebirds back at the Academy. Everybody was right to call me naive. Only someone as naive as I had been would have been oblivious to the adoration he devoted to me. I never wanted to pull away from his embrace. In fact, staying in it for the rest of the year would have been fine with me.

"Am I interrupting something here?"

Natsume laughed as I jerked away from him, strands of my hair whipping me in the face as I quickly turned around. Etou stood in the doorway, a cheeky grin on his face. He winked at me and my flustered appearance before turning and walking away again. "Akihiko called. Said that he wanted to see his girlfriend."

I stiffened. Natsume tensed. I screamed at myself in my head. Natsume laughed. I relaxed. "You do know that I'm _not_ his girlfriend, right?"

Natsume pulled me back to him, my fingers interlocked with his. "Of course I do. Why else would you come running back to me, huh?" He pressed a quick kiss to my lips. "And besides, I always knew that I would find you. Destiny never intended for us to be separated for too long."

A smile graced my lips and I went up on tiptoes. "Yes, and Fate decided that you were my one and only soul mate when I was ten years old," I whispered.

* * *

A/N: Oh. My. Lord. How long has it been since I've updated? It's a crisis! Oh geez, I'm so sorry guys! I guess some of you could call it writer's block. Plus, school and football are getting in the way. That, and I have lots of stuff I need to do at home. Thanks to the four who reviewed! I appreciate it!

_cherry juice _- I know right? I feel bad for him, too. And I'm the one _writing_ it. Don't worry though, I'll be doing some more stuff. ;) Keep reading! And thanks for the review~!

_sapphireangel09_ - Ugh. Rina effing annoyed me. I hated writing her. She's going to reappear though, so don't get your hopes up too much. :( And yes, Luna has always been nice deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep down. :)) Keep reading! Thank you~!

_Larsie0316_ - The story is going to keep getting better. ;)) Keep reading! And I appreciate your review!

_Kylee-Cat_ - I _lurv_ how consistent you are at reviewing! :)) Thank you _so_ much. I always appreciate it. The next chapter will be exciting and fast-paced, so keep your eyes open. I won't be slacking off this time. :D Thank you, once again!

**The next chapter is dedicated to the four of you. :**


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